Articles
Genetic basis of melon fruit morphology and domestication
Article number
1411_4
Pages
35 – 42
Language
English
Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) independently was domesticated in Asia and Africa.
Wild melons, which co-exist with the cultivated varieties today, produce small leaves, monoecious flowers, round/oval small fruits (20-50 g) with very thin and inedible flesh.
The domestication process led to a diverse array of landraces and cultivars, exhibiting an impressive range of fruit diversity, varying from small (a few hundred grams) to large (several kilograms) and from flattened to extremely elongated shapes.
Genomics and genetics approaches have been implemented to identify genes involved in domestication.
Though the available data are not sufficient for definitive conclusions, it appears that domestication involved a large number of loci, with loci on chromosomes 4, 5, and 8 being the most likely candidates to play major roles in this process.
Regarding variation of fruit morphology among cultivars, numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mapped.
Many of these QTLs are found in close proximity to genes of gene families related to fruit morphology in tomato, such as CNR (cell number regulator), CSR (cell size regulator), CYP78A (cytochrome P450), SUN, OVATE, WOX and TRM (TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif). This suggests the existence of a similar pathway controlling fruit morphology in both melon and tomato, as well as potentially in other crops.
For instance, a fruit shape QTL fsqs8.1 has been attributed to a member of the Ovate Family Proteins, suggesting that a similar pathway is controlling fruit morphology in melon and tomato, as well as other crops.
In fact, a member of the Ovate Family Proteins underlies the fruit shape QTL fsqs8.1. However, some fruit morphology QTLs do not co-localize with candidate genes, indicating the possibility of discovering new genetic pathways specific to melon.
Continued research will shed light on the genetic mechanisms underlying these processes that will benefit future breeding efforts.
Wild melons, which co-exist with the cultivated varieties today, produce small leaves, monoecious flowers, round/oval small fruits (20-50 g) with very thin and inedible flesh.
The domestication process led to a diverse array of landraces and cultivars, exhibiting an impressive range of fruit diversity, varying from small (a few hundred grams) to large (several kilograms) and from flattened to extremely elongated shapes.
Genomics and genetics approaches have been implemented to identify genes involved in domestication.
Though the available data are not sufficient for definitive conclusions, it appears that domestication involved a large number of loci, with loci on chromosomes 4, 5, and 8 being the most likely candidates to play major roles in this process.
Regarding variation of fruit morphology among cultivars, numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mapped.
Many of these QTLs are found in close proximity to genes of gene families related to fruit morphology in tomato, such as CNR (cell number regulator), CSR (cell size regulator), CYP78A (cytochrome P450), SUN, OVATE, WOX and TRM (TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif). This suggests the existence of a similar pathway controlling fruit morphology in both melon and tomato, as well as potentially in other crops.
For instance, a fruit shape QTL fsqs8.1 has been attributed to a member of the Ovate Family Proteins, suggesting that a similar pathway is controlling fruit morphology in melon and tomato, as well as other crops.
In fact, a member of the Ovate Family Proteins underlies the fruit shape QTL fsqs8.1. However, some fruit morphology QTLs do not co-localize with candidate genes, indicating the possibility of discovering new genetic pathways specific to melon.
Continued research will shed light on the genetic mechanisms underlying these processes that will benefit future breeding efforts.
Publication
Authors
M. Campos, C. Esteras, A.J. Monforte
Keywords
diversification, QTL, candidate gene, fruit shape, fruit size, cloning, development
Groups involved
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