Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a semi-evergreen climbing shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family, whose dried flower buds or flowers on the verge of blooming are known as Jin Yin Hua in traditional Chinese medicine. This plant is not only a high-value and widely used medicinal material but also possesses characteristics that make it suitable for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Currently, there is a robust market demand for Jin Yin Hua, yet the breeding technology for new varieties of Lonicera japonica lags behind, necessitating the integration of modern breeding techniques. With the advancement of genomics in Lonicera japonica, an increasing number of functional genes have been identified, amassing a rich reservoir of genetic resources for molecular breeding of this species. In this review, we summarize the progress in Lonicera japonica genomics, functional gene mining, and the establishment of genetic transformation systems. In light of the existing challenges and deficiencies in the research of functional genes and quality breeding of Lonicera japonica, it is imperative to establish a germplasm resource bank, a mutant library, and an efficient genetic transformation system for this plant. Intensive research into the mining and identification of functional genes should be conducted, and molecular markers closely linked to the functional genes of Lonicera japonica should be developed. This will lay a foundational basis for the identification and cultivation of breakthrough varieties with superior qualities in Lonicera japonica.
Effective delivery of engineered proteins into mitochondria is of great significance for developing efficient mitochondrial DNA editing tools and realizing accurate treatment of mitochondrial diseases. Here, the candidate genes, eGFP and Cas9, were engineered with different mitochondrial localization signal (MLS) sequences introduced at their up- or/and down-streams. The corresponding expression vectors for the engineered proteins were constructed respectively, and HEK293T cells were transfected with these vectors. The fluorescence colocalization and Western blotting assays were used to analyze the mitochondrial targeting presentation effect of different engineered proteins. The results demonstrated that the daul-MLS modification of the eGFP and Cas9 proteins significantly improved the efficiency of mitochondrial targeted presentation, compared with the engineered proteins with single MLS added. Hence, it is speculated that dual MLS strategy can enhance the mitochondrial targeting of engineered proteins, which lays a theoretical foundation for the future development of efficient mitochondrial DNA editing tools.