We quantified saponin content in quinoa leaves treated with methyl jasmonate.
We found that methyl jasmonate induces accumulation of saponins in quinoa leaves and induces the expression of saponin biosynthetic genes in quinoa.
Reference genes for qPCR analysis were identified by bioinformatics analysis of available RNA-Seq data.
We cloned three genes involved in saponin biosynthesis.
We characterized these genes by functional analyses in yeast.