A novel insight into transcriptional and epigenetic regulation underlying sex expression and flower development in melon (Cucumis melo L.)

Abstract

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important cucurbit and has been considered as a model plant for studying sex determination. The four most common sexual morphotypes in melon are monoecious (A-G-M), gynoecious (−-ggM-), andromonoecious (A-G-mm), and hermaphrodite (--ggmm). Sex expression in melons is complex, as the genes and associated networks that govern the sex expression are not fully explored. Recently, RNA-seq transcriptomic profiling, ChIP-qPCR analysis integrated with gene ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways predicted the differentially expressed genes including sex-specific ACS and ACO genes, in regulating the sex-expression, phytohormonal cross-talk, signal transduction, and secondary metabolism in melons. Integration of transcriptional control through genetic interaction in between the ACS7, ACS11, and WIP1 in epistatic or hypostatic manner, along with the recruitment of H3K9ac and H3K27me3, epigenetically, overall determine sex expression. Alignment of protein sequences for establishing phylogenetic evolution, motif comparison, and protein-protein interaction supported the structural conservation while presence of the conserved hydrophilic and charged residues across the diverged evolutionary group predicted the functional conservation of the ACS protein. Presence of the putative cis-binding elements or DNA motifs, and its further comparison with DAP-seq-based cistrome and epicistrome of Arabidopsis, unraveled strong ancestry of melons with Arabidopsis. Motif comparison analysis also characterized putative genes and transcription factors involved in ethylene biosynthesis, signal transduction, and hormonal cross-talk related to sex expression. Overall, we have comprehensively reviewed research findings for a deeper insight into transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of sex expression and flower development in melons. | INTRODUCTIONMelon (Cucumis melo L.), which belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, is a highly diversified (fruit type and other related attributes) and important vegetable crop, cultivated worldwide for its sweet taste, and distinct flavor and aroma (Girek et al., 2013;Revanasidda & Belavadi, 2019). Apart from its economic value, C. melo has been regarded as a model cucurbit and is widely used for studying sex expression (Girek

Integrated physiological, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the mechanism of peanut kernel weight reduction under waterlogging stress

“…Ethylene is synthesized using methionine as a precursor (Zhu et al, 2022) under the catalysis of SAM, ACS, and ACC (Li et al, 2023), with ACS and ACC acting as key enzymes in ethylene biosynthesis. The reaction catalysed by ACC is the rate‐limiting step in ethylene synthesis (Aamir et al, 2021). Although plants improve their waterlogging tolerance by increasing ethylene synthesis under WS (Yu et al, 2019), the activities of the starch synthase SUS and AGPase in wheat endosperm decrease with increasing ethylene production, leading to low starch synthesis and reduced grain development (Kuanar et al, 2019).…”

“…Ethylene is synthesized using methionine as a precursor (Zhu et al, 2022) under the catalysis of SAM, ACS, and ACC (Li et al, 2023), with ACS and ACC acting as key enzymes in ethylene biosynthesis. The reaction catalysed by ACC is the rate-limiting step in ethylene synthesis (Aamir et al, 2021).…”

A tandem CCCH type zinc finger protein gene CpC3H3 from Chimonanthus praecox promotes flowering and enhances drought tolerance in Arabidopsis

“…Some genes are participating in flowering in Photoperiod pathway, such as Early Phytochrome Responsive1 ( EPR1 ), Brassinosteroid Enhanced Expression1 ( BEE1 ), Arabidopsis Thaliana Response Regulator 4 ( ARR4 ), HBI1 . EPR1 is regulated by phytochrom A and phytochrom B, and its overexpressors delayed flowering in A. thaliana [ 33 ]; BEE1 is a positive regulator of photoperiod flowering, promote flowering by directly binding to the floral integrator FT [ 34 ]; ARR4 is critical for proper circadian period [ 10 ]; HBI1, a basic helix-loop-helix protein, was regulated by light and affected flowering when overexpressed in A. thaliana [ 35 ]; Nuclear factor YC protein 4 (NFYC4) is required for CONSTANS-mediated, photoperiod-dependent flowering in A. thaliana [ 36 ]. And others, such as IPT3 , ARRs and GA-STIMULATED ARABIDOPSIS 6 ( GASA6 ), are involved in flowering in hormone signal pathways.…”

“…As one of the most severe natural stresses, drought affects the productivity and quality of plants [ 9 ]. Plants have evolved multifaceted adaptation strategies to recognize and adapt the drought stress at molecular, biochemical, physiological and morphological levels [ 10 ]. Numerous stress-induced genes are involved in the recognition and adaption of drought stress.…”

Identifying Genes Associated with Female Flower Development of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Using a Transcriptomics Approach

“…Therefore, genomic resources generated from other plants could be used to identify the potential genes involved in the sexual differentiation and flower development of P. amurense . A literature survey was undertaken to list 1281 genes involved in sex differentiation and flower development in other plants, involving 189 papers from more than 30 journals (the latest published in 2022) [ 4 , 8 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , ...…”