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Lundstrøm J, Gillon E, Chazalet V, Kerekes N, Di Maio A, Feizi T, Liu Y, Varrot A, Bojar D. Elucidating the glycan-binding specificity and structure of Cucumis melo agglutinin, a new R-type lectin. Beilstein J Org Chem 2024; 20:306-320. [PMID: 38410776 PMCID: PMC10896221 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.20.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant lectins have garnered attention for their roles as laboratory probes and potential therapeutics. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of Cucumis melo agglutinin (CMA1), a new R-type lectin from melon. Our findings reveal CMA1's unique glycan-binding profile, mechanistically explained by its 3D structure, augmenting our understanding of R-type lectins. We expressed CMA1 recombinantly and assessed its binding specificity using multiple glycan arrays, covering 1,046 unique sequences. This resulted in a complex binding profile, strongly preferring C2-substituted, beta-linked galactose (both GalNAc and Fuca1-2Gal), which we contrasted with the established R-type lectin Ricinus communis agglutinin 1 (RCA1). We also report binding of specific glycosaminoglycan subtypes and a general enhancement of binding by sulfation. Further validation using agglutination, thermal shift assays, and surface plasmon resonance confirmed and quantified this binding specificity in solution. Finally, we solved the high-resolution structure of the CMA1 N-terminal domain using X-ray crystallography, supporting our functional findings at the molecular level. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of CMA1, laying the groundwork for further exploration of its biological and therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Lundstrøm
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 7B, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emilie Gillon
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CERMAV, 601 Rue de la Chimie, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Valérie Chazalet
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CERMAV, 601 Rue de la Chimie, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Nicole Kerekes
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 7B, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Antonio Di Maio
- Glycosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Rd, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Ten Feizi
- Glycosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Rd, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Yan Liu
- Glycosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Du Cane Rd, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Annabelle Varrot
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CERMAV, 601 Rue de la Chimie, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Daniel Bojar
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 7B, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 90 Gothenburg, Sweden
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2
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Feng Y, Yang C, Zhang J, Qiao J, Wang B, Zhao Y. Construction of a High-Density Paulownia Genetic Map and QTL Mapping of Important Phenotypic Traits Based on Genome Assembly and Whole-Genome Resequencing. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15647. [PMID: 37958630 PMCID: PMC10647314 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping based on a genetic map is a very effective method of marker-assisted selection in breeding, and whole-genome resequencing is one of the useful methods to obtain high-density genetic maps. In this study, the hybrid assembly of Illumina, PacBio, and chromatin interaction mapping data was used to construct high-quality chromosomal genome sequences of Paulownia fortunei, with a size of 476.82 Mb, a heterozygosity of 0.52%, and a contig and scaffold N50s of 7.81 Mb and 21.81 Mb, respectively. Twenty scaffolds with a total length of 437.72 Mb were assembled into 20 pseudochromosomes. Repeat sequences with a total length of 243.96 Mb accounted for 51.16% of the entire genome. In all, 26,903 protein-coding gene loci were identified, and 26,008 (96.67%) genes had conserved functional motifs. Further comparative genomics analysis preliminarily showed that the split of P. fortunei with Tectona grandis likely occurred 38.8 (33.3-45.1) million years ago. Whole-genome resequencing was used to construct a merged genetic map of 20 linkage groups, with 2993 bin markers (3,312,780 SNPs), a total length of 1675.14 cm, and an average marker interval of 0.56 cm. In total, 73 QTLs for important phenotypic traits were identified (19 major QTLs with phenotypic variation explained ≥ 10%), including 10 for the diameter at breast height, 7 for the main trunk height, and 56 for branch-related traits. These results not only enrich P. fortunei genomic data but also form a solid foundation for fine QTL mapping and key marker/gene mining of Paulownia, which is of great significance for the directed genetic improvement of these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanzhi Feng
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Chaowei Yang
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Jiajia Zhang
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Jie Qiao
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Baoping Wang
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China; (Y.F.); (C.Y.); (J.Z.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Non-Timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
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Lyu X, Xia Y, Wang C, Zhang K, Deng G, Shen Q, Gao W, Zhang M, Liao N, Ling J, Bo Y, Hu Z, Yang J, Zhang M. Pan-genome analysis sheds light on structural variation-based dissection of agronomic traits in melon crops. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 193:1330-1348. [PMID: 37477947 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Sweetness and appearance of fresh fruits are key palatable and preference attributes for consumers and are often controlled by multiple genes. However, fine-mapping the key loci or genes of interest by single genome-based genetic analysis is challenging. Herein, we present the chromosome-level genome assembly of 1 landrace melon accession (Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis) with wild morphologic features and thus construct a melon pan-genome atlas via integrating sequenced melon genome datasets. Our comparative genomic analysis reveals a total of 3.4 million genetic variations, of which the presence/absence variations (PAVs) are mainly involved in regulating the function of genes for sucrose metabolism during melon domestication and improvement. We further resolved several loci that are accountable for sucrose contents, flesh color, rind stripe, and suture using a structural variation (SV)-based genome-wide association study. Furthermore, via bulked segregation analysis (BSA)-seq and map-based cloning, we uncovered that a single gene, (CmPIRL6), determines the edible or inedible characteristics of melon fruit exocarp. These findings provide important melon pan-genome information and provide a powerful toolkit for future pan-genome-informed cultivar breeding of melon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Lyu
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yuelin Xia
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chenhao Wang
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Kejia Zhang
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Guancong Deng
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qinghui Shen
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wei Gao
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Yazhou District, Sanya 572025, China
| | - Mengyi Zhang
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Yazhou District, Sanya 572025, China
| | - Nanqiao Liao
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jian Ling
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yongming Bo
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Breeding, Ningbo Weimeng Seed Co., Ltd, Ningbo 315100, China
| | - Zhongyuan Hu
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Yazhou District, Sanya 572025, China
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jinghua Yang
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Yazhou District, Sanya 572025, China
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Mingfang Zhang
- Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Yazhou District, Sanya 572025, China
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Fu A, Zheng Y, Guo J, Grierson D, Zhao X, Wen C, Liu Y, Li J, Zhang X, Yu Y, Ma H, Wang Q, Zuo J. Telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of bitter melon ( Momordica charantia L. var. abbreviata Ser.) reveals fruit development, composition and ripening genetic characteristics. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhac228. [PMID: 36643758 PMCID: PMC9832870 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhac228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Momordica charantia L. var. abbreviata Ser. (Mca), known as bitter gourd or bitter melon, is a Momordica variety with medicinal value and belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. In view of the lack of genomic information on bitter gourd and other Momordica species and to promote Mca genomic research, we assembled a 295.6-Mb telomere-to-telomere (T2T) high-quality Mca genome with six gap-free chromosomes after Hi-C correction. This genome is anchored to 11 chromosomes, which is consistent with the karyotype information, and comprises 98 contigs (N50 of 25.4 Mb) and 95 scaffolds (N50 of 25.4 Mb). The Mca genome harbors 19 895 protein-coding genes, of which 45.59% constitute predicted repeat sequences. Synteny analysis revealed variations involved in fruit quality during the divergence of bitter gourd. In addition, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin by high-throughput sequencing and metabolic analysis showed that momordicosides and other substances are characteristic of Mca fruit pulp. A combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed the mechanisms of pigment accumulation and cucurbitacin biosynthesis in Mca fruit peels, providing fundamental molecular information for further research on Mca fruit ripening. This report provides a new genetic resource for Momordica genomic studies and contributes additional insights into Cucurbitaceae phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jing Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Sciences and Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Donald Grierson
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaoyan Zhao
- Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Changlong Wen
- Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Ye Liu
- Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Jian Li
- Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Xuewen Zhang
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing 101300, China
| | - Ying Yu
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing 101300, China
| | - Hong Ma
- Corresponding authors: Jinhua Zuo, +861051503058; Qing Wang, ; Hong Ma,
| | - Qing Wang
- Corresponding authors: Jinhua Zuo, +861051503058; Qing Wang, ; Hong Ma,
| | - Jinhua Zuo
- Corresponding authors: Jinhua Zuo, +861051503058; Qing Wang, ; Hong Ma,
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Identification of accession-specific variants and development of KASP markers for assessing the genetic makeup of Brassica rapa seeds. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:326. [PMID: 35468724 PMCID: PMC9036802 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08567-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most crop seeds are F1 hybrids. Seed providers and plant breeders must be confident that the seed supplied to growers is of known, and uniform, genetic makeup. This requires maintenance of pure genotypes of the parental lines and testing to ensure the genetic purity of the F1 seed. Traditionally, seed purity has been assessed with a grow-out test (GOT) in the field, a time consuming and costly venture. Early in the last decade, seed testing with molecular markers was introduced as a replacement for GOT, and Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers were recognized as promising tools for genetic testing of seeds. However, the markers available at that time could be inaccurate and applicable to only a small number of accessions or varieties due to the limited genetic information and reference genomes available. RESULTS We identified 4,925,742 SNPs in 50 accessions of the Brasscia rapa core collection. From these, we identified 2,925 SNPs as accession-specific, considering properties of flanking region harboring accession-specific SNPs and genic region conservation among accessions by the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis. In total, 100 accession-specific markers were developed as accession-specific KASP markers. Based on the results of our validation experiments, the accession-specific markers successfully distinguised individuals from the mixed population including 50 target accessions from B. rapa core collection and the outgroup. Additionally, the marker set we developed here discriminated F1 hybrids and their parental lines with distinct clusters. CONCLUSIONS This study provides efficient methods for developing KASP markers to distinguish individuals from the mixture comprised of breeding lines and germplasms from the resequencing data of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa spp. pekinensis).
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Qu G, Bao Y, Liao Y, Liu C, Zi H, Bai M, Liu Y, Tu D, Wang L, Chen S, Zhou G, Can M. Draft genomes assembly and annotation of Carex parvula and Carex kokanica reveals stress-specific genes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4970. [PMID: 35322069 PMCID: PMC8943043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08783-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Kobresia plants are important forage resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and are essential in maintaining the ecological balance of grasslands. Therefore, it is beneficial to obtain Kobresia genome resources and study the adaptive characteristics of Kobresia plants on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Previously, we have assembled the genome of Carex littledalei (Kobresia littledalei), which is a diploid with 29 chromosomes. In this study, we assembled genomes of Carex parvula (Kobresia pygmaea) and Carex kokanica (Kobresia royleana) via using Illumina and PacBio sequencing data, which were about 783.49 Mb and 673.40 Mb in size, respectively. And 45,002 or 36,709 protein-coding genes were further annotated in the genome of C. parvula or C. kokanica. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Kobresia in Cyperaceae separated from Poaceae about 101.5 million years ago after separated from Ananas comosus in Bromeliaceae about 117.2 million years ago. C. littledalei and C. parvula separated about 5.0 million years ago, after separated from C. kokanica about 6.2 million years ago. In this study, transcriptome data of C. parvula at three different altitudes were also measured and analyzed. Kobresia plants genomes assembly and transcriptome analysis will assist research into mechanisms of plant adaptation to environments with high altitude and cold weather.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangpeng Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Yuhong Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Yangci Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Can Liu
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Hailing Zi
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Magaweng Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Dengqunpei Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Li Wang
- Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China
| | - Shaofeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China
| | - Gang Zhou
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China.
| | - Muyou Can
- State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, 850000, China.
- Institute of Grassland Science, Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Lhasa, 850000, China.
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Ma L, Wang Q, Zheng Y, Guo J, Yuan S, Fu A, Bai C, Zhao X, Zheng S, Wen C, Guo S, Gao L, Grierson D, Zuo J, Xu Y. Cucurbitaceae genome evolution, gene function and molecular breeding. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2022; 9:uhab057. [PMID: 35043161 PMCID: PMC8969062 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The Cucurbitaceae is one of the most genetically diverse plant families in the world. Many of them are important vegetables or medicinal plants and are widely distributed worldwide. The rapid development of sequencing technologies and bioinformatic algorithms has enabled the generation of genome sequences of numerous important Cucurbitaceae species. This has greatly facilitated research on gene identification, genome evolution, genetic variation and molecular breeding of cucurbit crops. So far, genome sequences of 18 different cucurbit species belonging to tribes Benincaseae, Cucurbiteae, Sicyoeae, Momordiceae and Siraitieae have been deciphered. This review summarizes the genome sequence information, evolutionary relationship, and functional genes associated with important agronomic traits (e.g., fruit quality). The progress of molecular breeding in cucurbit crops and prospects for future applications of Cucurbitaceae genome information are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Ma
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
- Department of Food Biotechnology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Yanyan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering and State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Sciences and Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Shuzhi Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Anzhen Fu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Chunmei Bai
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Shufang Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Changlong Wen
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Shaogui Guo
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Lipu Gao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Donald Grierson
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Jinhua Zuo
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China) of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture (North) of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Food Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
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Fang L, Wei XY, Liu LZ, Zhou LX, Tian YP, Geng C, Li XD. A tobacco ringspot virus-based vector system for gene and microRNA function studies in cucurbits. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:853-864. [PMID: 33764466 PMCID: PMC8195500 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Cucurbits are economically important crops worldwide. The genomic data of many cucurbits are now available. However, functional analyses of cucurbit genes and noncoding RNAs have been impeded because genetic transformation is difficult for many cucurbitaceous plants. Here, we developed a set of tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV)-based vectors for gene and microRNA (miRNA) function studies in cucurbits. A TRSV-based expression vector could simultaneously express GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) and heterologous viral suppressors of RNA silencing in TRSV-infected plants, while a TRSV-based gene silencing vector could knock down endogenous genes exemplified by PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) in Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis sativus, and Nicotiana benthamiana plants. We also developed a TRSV-based miRNA silencing vector to dissect the functions of endogenous miRNAs. Four representative miRNAs, namely, miR159, miR166, miR172, and miR319, from different cucurbits were inserted into the TRSV vector using a short tandem target mimic strategy and induced characteristic phenotypes in TRSV-miRNA-infected plants. This TRSV-based vector system will facilitate functional genomic studies in cucurbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Fang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Xin-Yu Wei
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Ling-Zhi Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Ling-Xi Zhou
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Yan-Ping Tian
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Chao Geng
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Xiang-Dong Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
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Keep Calm and Survive: Adaptation Strategies to Energy Crisis in Fruit Trees under Root Hypoxia. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9091108. [PMID: 32867316 PMCID: PMC7570223 DOI: 10.3390/plants9091108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Plants are permanently facing challenges imposed by the environment which, in the context of the current scenario of global climate change, implies a constant process of adaptation to survive and even, in the case of crops, at least maintain yield. O2 deficiency at the rhizosphere level, i.e., root hypoxia, is one of the factors with the greatest impact at whole-plant level. At cellular level, this O2 deficiency provokes a disturbance in the energy metabolism which has notable consequences on the yield of plant crops. In this sense, although several physiological studies describe processes involved in plant adaptation to root hypoxia in woody fruit trees, with emphasis on the negative impacts on photosynthetic rate, there are very few studies that include -omics strategies for specifically understanding these processes in the roots of such species. Through a de novo assembly approach, a comparative transcriptome study of waterlogged Prunus spp. genotypes contrasting in their tolerance to root hypoxia was revisited in order to gain a deeper insight into the reconfiguration of pivotal pathways involved in energy metabolism. This re-analysis describes the classically altered pathways seen in the roots of woody fruit trees under hypoxia, but also routes that link them to pathways involved with nitrogen assimilation and the maintenance of cytoplasmic pH and glycolytic flow. In addition, the effects of root hypoxia on the transcription of genes related to the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system, responsible for providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to the cell, are discussed in terms of their roles in the energy balance, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism and aerenchyma formation. This review compiles key findings that help to explain the trait of tolerance to root hypoxia in woody fruit species, giving special attention to their strategies for managing the energy crisis. Finally, research challenges addressing less-explored topics in recovery and stress memory in woody fruit trees are pointed out.
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