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Jiang C, Zeng S, Yang J, Wang X. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Analysis of SWEET Family Genes Involved in Fruit Development in Plum ( Prunus salicina Lindl). Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1679. [PMID: 37761819 PMCID: PMC10531292 DOI: 10.3390/genes14091679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
SWEETs (sugars will eventually be exported transporters) play a vital role in longer-distance sugar transportation, and thus control carbon flow and energy metabolism in plants. SWEET genes have been identified in various plant species, but their functions in fruit development remain uncharacterized. Here, we isolated 15 putative PsSWEETs from the Prunus salicina genome. For further analysis, comprehensive bioinformatics methods were applied to determine the gene structure, chromosome distribution, phylogeny, cis-acting regulatory elements, and expression profiles of PsSWEETs. qRT-PCR analysis suggested that these SWEETs might have diverse functions in the development of plum fruit. The relative expression levels of PsSWEET1 and PsSWEET9 were obviously higher in ripened fruit than the ones in other developmental stages, suggesting their possible roles in the transport and accumulation of sugars in plum fruit. Positive correlations were found between the expression level of PsSWEET3/10/13 and the content of sucrose, and the expression level of PsSWEET2 and the content of fructose, respectively, during the development of 'Furongli' fruit, suggesting their possible roles in the accumulation of sucrose and fructose. The current study investigated the initial genomic characterization and expression patterns of the SWEET gene family in plum, which could provide a foundation for the further understanding of the functional analysis of the SWEET gene family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuicui Jiang
- Fruit Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013, China; (S.Z.); (X.W.)
| | - Shaomin Zeng
- Fruit Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013, China; (S.Z.); (X.W.)
| | - Jun Yang
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu 233030, China;
| | - Xiaoan Wang
- Fruit Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013, China; (S.Z.); (X.W.)
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Zhou Y, Li K, Wen S, Yang D, Gao J, Wang Z, Zhu P, Bie Z, Cheng J. Phloem unloading in cultivated melon fruits follows an apoplasmic pathway during enlargement and ripening. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad123. [PMID: 37554344 PMCID: PMC10405131 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) has a long history of cultivation worldwide. During cultivation, domestication, and selection breeding, the sugar content of mature melon fruits has been significantly increased. Compared with unsweet melon and wild melon, rapid sucrose accumulation can occur in the middle and late stages of sweet melon fruit development. The phloem unloading pathway during the evolution and development of melon fruit has not been identified and analyzed. In this study, the phloem unloading pathway and the function of related sugar transporters in cultivated and wild melon fruits were analyzed by CFDA [5(6)-carbofluorescein diacetate] and esculin tracing, cytological pathway observation, qRT-PCR, and gene function analysis, etc. Results show that the phloem unloading pathway of wild melon fruit is largely symplastic, whereas the phloem unloading pathway of cultivated melon fruit shifts from symplastic to apoplasmic during development. According to a fruit grafting experiment, the fruit sink accumulates sugars independently. Correlation analysis showed that the expression amounts of several sucrose transporter genes were positively correlated with the sucrose content of melon fruit. Furthermore, CmSWEET10 was proved to be a sucrose transporter located on the plasma membrane of the phloem and highly expressed in the premature stage of sweet melon fruits, which means it may be involved in phloem apoplast unloading and sucrose accumulation in sweet melon fruits. Finally, we summarize a functional model of related enzymes and sugar transporters involved in the apoplast unloading of sweet melon fruits during enlargement and sucrose accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Zhou
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Kexin Li
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Suying Wen
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Dong Yang
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Jun Gao
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Ziwei Wang
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Peilu Zhu
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Zhilong Bie
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
| | - Jintao Cheng
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
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Xu Z, Dai J, Liang L, Zhang Y, He Y, Xing L, Ma J, Zhang D, Zhao C. Chitinase-Like Protein PpCTL1 Contributes to Maintaining Fruit Firmness by Affecting Cellulose Biosynthesis during Peach Development. Foods 2023; 12:2503. [PMID: 37444241 DOI: 10.3390/foods12132503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The firmness of the flesh fruit is a very important feature in the eating process. Peach fruit is very hard during development, but its firmness slightly decreases in the later stages of development. While there has been extensive research on changes in cell wall polysaccharides during fruit ripening, little is known about the changes that occur during growth and development. In this study, we investigated the modifications in cell wall components throughout the development and ripening of peach fruit, as well as its impact on firmness. Our findings revealed a significant positive correlation between fruit firmness and cellulose content at development stage. However, the correlation was lost during the softening process, suggesting that cellulose might be responsible for the fruit firmness during development. Members of the chitinase-like protein (CTL) group are of interest because of their possible role in plant cell wall biosynthesis. Here, two CTL homologous genes, PpCTL1 and PpCTL2, were identified in peach. Spatial and temporal expression patterns of PpCTLs revealed that PpCTL1 exhibited high expression abundance in the fruit and followed a similar trend to cellulose during fruit growth. Furthermore, silencing PpCTL1 expression resulted in reduced cellulose content at 5 DAI (days after injection), this change that would have a negative effect on fruit firmness. Our results indicate that PpCTL1 plays an important role in cellulose biosynthesis and the maintenance of peach firmness during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Xu
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Jieyu Dai
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Liping Liang
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Yonglan Zhang
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Yaojun He
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Libo Xing
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Juanjuan Ma
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Dong Zhang
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Caiping Zhao
- College of Horticulture, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
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Niu N, Zhang Y, Li S, Meng X, Liu M, Wang H, Zhao J. Genome-wide characterization of the cellulose synthase gene family in Ziziphus jujuba reveals its function in cellulose biosynthesis during fruit development. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 239:124360. [PMID: 37030464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023]
Abstract
The cellulose synthase (Ces/Csl) is a key enzyme in plant cellulose synthesis. Jujube fruits are rich in cellulose. 29 ZjCesA/Csl genes were identified in jujube genome and showed tissue-specific expression. 13 genes highly expressed in jujube fruit exhibited obviously sequential expressions during the fruit development, indicating that they might play distinct roles during the process. Meanwhile, the correlation analysis showed the expressions of ZjCesA1 and ZjCslA1 were significant positive related to the cellulose synthase activities. Furthermore, transient overexpressions of ZjCesA1 or ZjCslA1 in jujube fruits significantly increased cellulose synthase activities and contents, whereas silencing of ZjCesA1 or ZjCslA1 in jujube seedlings obviously reduced cellulose levels. Moreover, the Y2H assays verified that ZjCesA1 and ZjCslA1 may participate in cellulose synthesis by forming protein complexes. The study not only reveals the bioinformatics characteristics and functions of cellulose synthase genes in jujube, but also provides clues for studying cellulose synthesis in other fruits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazi Niu
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Shijia Li
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Xiangrui Meng
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Mengjun Liu
- Research Center of Chinese Jujube, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China; School of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Huibin Wang
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China.
| | - Jin Zhao
- College of Life Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China.
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Li Y, Liu H, Yao X, Wang J, Feng S, Sun L, Ma S, Xu K, Chen LQ, Sui X. Hexose transporter CsSWEET7a in cucumber mediates phloem unloading in companion cells for fruit development. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:640-654. [PMID: 33604597 PMCID: PMC8154047 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In the fleshy fruit of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.), the phloem flow is unloaded via an apoplasmic pathway, which requires protein carriers to export sugars derived from stachyose and raffinose into the apoplasm. However, transporter(s) involved in this process remain unidentified. Here, we report that a hexose transporter, CsSWEET7a (Sugar Will Eventually be Exported Transporter 7a), was highly expressed in cucumber sink tissues and localized to the plasma membrane in companion cells of the phloem. Its expression level increased gradually during fruit development. Down-regulation of CsSWEET7a by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in smaller fruit size along with reduced soluble sugar levels and reduced allocation of 14C-labelled carbon to sink tissues. CsSWEET7a overexpression lines showed an opposite phenotype. Interestingly, genes encoding alkaline α-galactosidase (AGA) and sucrose synthase (SUS) were also differentially regulated in CsSWEET7a transgenic lines. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that CsAGA2 co-localized with CsSWEET7a in companion cells, indicating cooperation between AGA and CsSWEET7a in fruit phloem unloading. Our findings indicated that CsSWEET7a is involved in sugar phloem unloading in cucumber fruit by removing hexoses from companion cells to the apoplasmic space to stimulate the raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs) metabolism so that additional sugars can be unloaded to promote fruit growth. This study also provides a possible avenue towards improving fruit production in cucumber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxin Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
- Department of Plant Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Huan Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xuehui Yao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jiang Wang
- Department of Plant Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Sheng Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Lulu Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Si Ma
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Kang Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Li-Qing Chen
- Department of Plant Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Xiaolei Sui
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
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