Identification and Characterization of a SEPALLATA-like MADS-box Gene from Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

SEPALLATA (SEP) genes encode the E class MADS-box transcription factors that play vital roles in various aspects of plant growth and development. In this study, we isolated a SEP-like gene from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), which was previously named as CsMADS01. CsMADS01 had a coding sequence (CDS) of 741 bp, and coded a deduced protein of 246 amino acid residues that was predicted to be located in the nucleus. The putative CsMADS01 protein was typically characterized by the MIKC-type MADS (including MADS, I, K, and C domains) and shared high homology with other SEP-like proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of CsMADS01 and SEP proteins from other plants revealed that CsMADS01 was a member of the SEP1/2 clade of SEP proteins and was the most closely related to ZjMADS48 from Chinese jujube. Promoter analysis showed that several cis-elements related to stress response and hormones were present in the promoter region of CsMADS01. Expression analysis indicated that CsMADS01 was highly expressed during the development of male and female flowers, and the expression increased gradually along with fruit development. Ectopic expression of CsMADS01 in Arabidopsis resulted in a phyllody-like phenotype and the transgenic plants never flowered. These results suggest that CsMADS01 plays an important role in the growth and development of cucumber.
 
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 In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue.
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Identification and Expression Analysis of Stress-Associated Proteins (SAPs) Containing A20/AN1 Zinc Finger in Cucumber

“…Among these genes, CsSAP1, CsSAP6, CsSAP7, and CsSAP11 displayed the highest transcriptional levels in unfertilized ovaries; CsSAP4, CsSAP5, CsSAP10, and CsSAP12 exhibited much higher transcript abundance in flowers; while CsSAP8 and CsSAP9 showed the highest mRNA accumulation in roots and basal tendrils, respectively (Figure 6A). To further explore the possible roles of CsSAP genes in fruit development, the transcript levels of CsSAP genes at different fruit development stages were evaluated according to the previously reported RNA-seq data [40]. The transcriptome data showed that several CsSAP genes, such as CsSAP1, CsSAP5, CsSAP7, CsSAP9, CsSAP11, and CsSAP12, displayed remarkable transcriptions at certain time points during fruit development (Figure 6B).…”

“…The expression profile of CsSAP genes was examined based on the available RNA-seq data in different cucumber tissues and during fruit ripening [39,40]. As shown in Figure 6A, nearly all CsSAP genes were expressed in the tested tissues, except for CsSAP2 and CsSAP3.…”

Developmental stages and episode-specific regulatory genes in andromonoecious melon flower development

“…To our knowledge, very little is known about the expression and function of MADS-box TF genes in melon. Most studies have been carried out in cucumber, and all correlated the expression of these genes with different reproductive developmental functions and fruit maturation ( Cheng et al , 2019 , 2020 ). The transition of the melon inflorescence from meristematic status to floral organ differentiation is accompanied by the downregulation of meristem activity genes and a significant upregulation of a large number of genes associated with organ development.…”