Transcriptomic analysis reveals the roles of microtubule-related genes and transcription factors in fruit length regulation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit is a type of fleshy fruit that is harvested immaturely. Early fruit development directly determines the final fruit length and diameter, and consequently the fruit yield and quality. Different cucumber varieties display huge variations of fruit length, but how fruit length is determined at the molecular level remains poorly understood. To understand the genes and gene networks that regulate fruit length in cucumber, high throughout RNA-Seq data were used to compare the transcriptomes of early fruit from two near isogenic lines with different fruit lengths. 3955 genes were found to be differentially expressed, among which 2368 genes were significantly up-regulated and 1587 down-regulated in the line with long fruit. Microtubule and cell cycle related genes were dramatically activated in the long fruit, and transcription factors were implicated in the fruit length regulation in cucumber. Thus, our results built a foundation for dissecting the molecular mechanism of fruit length control in cucumber, a key agricultural trait of significant economic importance.

De novo comparative transcriptome analysis of genes involved in fruit morphology of pumpkin cultivars with extreme size difference and development of EST-SSR markers

“…'Big Moose' (Table 2). This is consistent with previous reports in cucumber demonstrating that induction of the CsKF2 (Kynurenine formamidase 2) gene was associated with increased cell division while increased expression of the CsKF1 and CsKF7 positively correlated with rapid cell expansion (Yang et al, 2013;Jiang et al, 2015). Taken together the results above suggest that the large fruit in the cv.…”

“…Microtubules play a crucial role in cell division and cell expansion (Maiato and Sunkel, 2004;Jiang et al, 2015). Interestingly, genes that code for basic structural units of microtubules such as alpha tubulins TUAs and beta tubulins TUBs were found to be up-regulated in the large-fruit cv 'Big Moose' (Table 2).…”

Rapid identification of fruit length loci in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) using next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based QTL analysis

“…The process of fruit elongation begins almost immediately after pollination and is typically completed in 12 to 16 days11. To understand the molecular events during early fruit development, transcriptome profiling was conducted with different cucumber lines, associating cucumber kinesin genes as well as microtubule and cell cycle related genes with fruit size/development regulation31213. Compared with the knowledge of molecular biology of early fruit development in cucumber, insights into the genetic basis were very limited.…”

Transcriptomic analysis of short-fruit 1 (sf1) reveals new insights into the variation of fruit-related traits in Cucumis sativus

“…Many QTLs that control cucumber fruit length have been detected in different populations, developmental stages and growing seasons, and 14 were mapped on chromosome 6 5–7, 19–24 . Twelve of the 14 QTLs on chromosome 6 were named FL6 .…”