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The pseudo-type response regulator gene Clsc regulates rind stripe coloration in watermelon
Dongming Liu, Jinfang Liang, Quanquan Liu, Yaxin Chen, Shixiang Duan, Dongling Sun, Huayu Zhu, Junling Dou, Huanhuan Niu, Sen Yang, Shouru Sun, Jianbin Hu, Luming Yang
2025, 24 (1): 147-160.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.08.006
Abstract81)      PDF in ScienceDirect      
The color and pattern of watermelon rind are crucial external traits that directly affect consumer preferences.  Watermelons with stripes having a stronger color than the background rind are ideal for studying stripe patterns in plants, while there is still limited knowledge about the genetic mechanisms underlying stripe coloration due to the lack of germplasm resources.  In this study, we focused on a watermelon germplasm with colorless stripes, and genetic analysis revealed that the trait is controlled by a single recessive gene.  The gene Clsc (Citrullus lanatus stripe coloration), which is responsible for the colorless stripe, was localized into a 147.6 kb region on Chr9 by linkage analysis in a large F2 mapping population.  Further analysis revealed that the Cla97C09G175170 gene encodes the APRR2 transcription factor, plays a crucial role in determining the watermelon colorless stripe phenotype and was deduced to be related to chlorophyll synthesis and chloroplast development.  Physiological experiments indicated that Cla97C09G175170 may significantly influence chloroplast development and chlorophyll synthesis in watermelon.  The results of this study provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of stripe coloration in watermelon and can be useful in the development of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for new watermelon cultivars.


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An allelic variation in the promoter of the LRR-RLK gene, qSS6.1, is associated with melon seed size
Xiaoxue Liang, Jiyu Wang, Lei Cao, Xuanyu Du, Junhao Qiang, Wenlong Li, Panqiao Wang, Juan Hou, Xiang Li, Wenwen Mao, Huayu Zhu, Luming Yang, Qiong Li, Jianbin Hu
2024, 23 (10): 3522-3536.   DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.012
Abstract99)      PDF in ScienceDirect      

Seed size is an important agronomic trait in melons that directly affects seed germination and subsequent seedling growth.  However, the genetic mechanism underlying seed size in melon remains unclear.  In the present study, we employed Bulked-Segregant Analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) to identify a candidate region (~1.35 Mb) on chromosome 6 that corresponds to seed size.  This interval was confirmed by QTL mapping of three seed size-related traits from an F2 population across three environments.  This mapping region represented nine QTLs that shared an overlapping region on chromosome 6, collectively referred to as qSS6.1.  New InDel markers were developed in the qSS6.1 region, narrowing it down to a 68.35 kb interval that contains eight annotated genes.  Sequence variation analysis of the eight genes identified a SNP with a C to T transition mutation in the promoter region of MELO3C014002, a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) gene.  This mutation affected the promoter activity of the MELO3C014002 gene and was successfully used to differentiate the large-seeded accessions (C-allele) from the small-seeded accessions (T-allele).  qRT-PCR revealed differential expression of MELO3C014002 between the two parental lines.  Its predicted protein has typical LRR-RLK family domains, and phylogenetic analyses reveled its similarity with the homologs in several plant species.  Altogether, these findings suggest MELO3C014002 as the most likely candidate gene involved in melon seed size regulation.  Our results will be helpful for better understanding the genetic mechanism regulating seed size in melons and for genetically improving this important trait through molecular breeding pathways. 

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