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Genetic architecture of fruit size and shape variation in cucurbits: a comparative perspective

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Abstract

The Cucurbitaceae family hosts many economically important fruit vegetables (cucurbits) such as cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin/squash, and various gourds. The cucurbits are probably best known for the diverse fruit sizes and shapes, but little is known about their genetic basis and molecular regulation. Here, we reviewed the literature on fruit size (FS), shape (FSI), and fruit weight (FW) QTL identified in cucumber, melon, and watermelon, from which 150 consensus QTL for these traits were inferred. Genome-wide survey of the three cucurbit genomes identified 253 homologs of eight classes of fruit or grain size/weight-related genes cloned in Arabidopsis, tomato, and rice that encode proteins containing the characteristic CNR (cell number regulator), CSR (cell size regulator), CYP78A (cytochrome P450), SUN, OVATE, TRM (TONNEAU1 Recruiting Motif), YABBY, and WOX domains. Alignment of the consensus QTL with candidate gene homologs revealed widespread structure and function conservation of fruit size/shape gene homologs in cucurbits, which was exemplified with the fruit size/shape candidate genes CsSUN25-26-27a and CsTRM5 in cucumber, CmOFP1a in melon, and ClSUN25-26-27a in watermelon. In cucurbits, the andromonoecy (for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase) and the carpel number (for CLAVATA3) loci are known to have pleiotropic effects on fruit shape, which may complicate identification of fruit size/shape candidate genes in these regions. The present work illustrates the power of comparative analysis in understanding the genetic architecture of fruit size/shape variation, which may facilitate QTL mapping and cloning for fruit size-related traits in cucurbits. The limitations and perspectives of this approach are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We apologize for not being able to include all QTL mapping studies in cucurbit crops in this review. This research was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants under award numbers 2015–51181-24285 and 2017–67013-26195 from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (to Y. Weng). FL’s work was supported by the China Agriculture Research System Program (CARS-26–02). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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  1. Yupeng Pan

    Present address: College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi Province, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Yupeng Pan, Yuhui Wang & Yiqun Weng

  2. Department of Horticulture and Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Cecilia McGregor

  3. College of Horticulture and, Landscape Architecture at Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China

    Shi Liu & Feishi Luan

  4. College of Life Science, Agriculture and Forestry, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, 161006, China

    Meiling Gao

  5. USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit, 1575 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Yiqun Weng

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YP and YQW conducted literature review and wrote the manuscript. YHW performed comparative bioinformatics analysis of the data. CM, SL, MG and FL helped review of melon and watermelon data. All authors reviewed and approved the final submission.

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Correspondence to Yiqun Weng.

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Pan, Y., Wang, Y., McGregor, C. et al. Genetic architecture of fruit size and shape variation in cucurbits: a comparative perspective. Theor Appl Genet 133, 1–21 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-019-03481-3

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