Cloning and characterization of WRKY gene homologs in Chieh-qua (Benincasa hispida Cogn. var. Chieh-qua How) and their expression in response to fusaric acid treatment

Abstract

The WRKY transcription factors play an important role in plant resistance for biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we cloned 10 WRKY gene homologs (CqWRKY) in Chieh-qua (Benincasa hispida Cogn. var. Chieh-qua) using the rapid-amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) or homology-based cloning methods. We characterized the structure of these CqWRKY genes. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences with cucumber homologs suggested possible structural conservation of these genes among cucurbit crops. We examined the expression levels of these genes in response to fusaric acid (FA) treatment between resistant and susceptible Chieh-qua lines with quantitative real-time PCR. All genes could be upregulated upon FA treatment, but four CqWRKY genes exhibited differential expression between resistant and susceptible lines before and after FA application. CqWRKY31 seemed to be a positive regulator while CqWRKY1, CqWRKY23 and CqWRKY53 were negative regulators of fusaric resistance. This is the first report of characterization of WRKY family genes in Chieh-qua. The results may also be useful in breeding Chieh-qua for Fusarium wilt resistance.

Molecular cloning and characterization of Pif gene from pearl mussel, Hyriopsis cumingii, and the gene expression analysis during pearl formation

“…Real-time quantitative PCR components were mixed in a total reaction volume of 20:10 μl of 2 × SYBR ExTaqII premix (TaKaRa, Dalian, China), the forward and reverse primers (10 μM) and 1 μl diluted template cDNA (about 10 ng). The PCR condition was described previously (Zhang et al 2016;Mao et al 2017): pre-incubation at 95 °C for 30 s, followed by 40 cycles of denaturation at 95 °C for 5 s and annealing and extension at 60 °C for 34 s. Dissociation curve analysis (60-95 °C) was implemented to confirm the absence of nonspecific products. The primers used for this study were listed in Table 1.…”

RNA-seq-based transcriptome profiling of early fruit development in Chieh-qua and analysis of related transcription factors

“…Cogn.) 1 . This vegetable crop belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is widely distributed in South China and Southeast Asia 2 , 3 .…”

Virome Profiling, New Virus Identification and the Prevalence and Distribution of Viruses Infecting Chieh-Qua (Benincasa hispida Cogn. var. chieh-qua How) in China

“…in the Cucurbitaceae family. As an important vegetable crop, chieh-qua is widely cultivated throughout the world for its immature fruit, especially in South China and southeast Asian countries [ 1 ]. In China in 2021, the planting area of Benincasa hispida was about 6 million acres, with a yield of 58 million tons [ 2 ].…”