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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330291
Title: A bulk segregant transcriptome analysis reveals metabolic and cellular processes associated with melon orange allelic variation and fruit B-carotene accumulation

Author
item CHAYUT, NOAM - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item YUAN, HUI - Cornell University
item OHALI, SHACHAR - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item MEIR, AYALA - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item YESELSON, YELENA - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item PORTNOY, VITALY - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item FEI, ZHANGJUN - Cornell University
item LEWINSOHN, EFRAIM - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item KATZIR, NURIT - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item SCHAFFER, ARTHUR - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item GEPSTEIN, SHIMON - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item BURGER, JOSEPH - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel
item Li, Li
item TADMOR, YAAKOV - Agricultural Research Organization Of Israel

Submitted to: BMC Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/2015
Publication Date: 11/9/2015
Citation: Chayut, N., Yuan, H., Ohali, S., Meir, A., Yeselson, Y., Portnoy, V., Fei, Z., Lewinsohn, E., Katzir, N., Schaffer, A., Gepstein, S., Burger, J., Li, L., Tadmor, Y. 2015. A bulk segregant transcriptome analysis reveals metabolic and cellular processes associated with melon orange allelic variation and fruit B-carotene accumulation. Biomed Central (BMC) Plant Biology. 15:274.

Interpretive Summary: Carotenoids are important to human nutrition and health. Carotenoids contribute to the vivid orange, red and yellow color found in many fruits and vegetables. Our previous study reveals that two alleles of Orange gene (CmOr) control orange or green/white flesh color in melon fruits. We carried out a comparative whole genome gene expression analysis between orange and green flesh fruits and identified a number of metabolic and cellular processes associated with each allele of CmOr. These results provide information for further understanding of the regulatory network of CmOr in controlling carotenoid accumulation.

Technical Abstract: Background: Melon fruit flesh color is primarily controlled by the “golden” single nucleotide polymorhism of the “Orange” gene, CmOr, which dominantly triggers the accumulation of the pro-vitamin A molecule, B-carotene, in the fruit mesocarp. The mechanism by which CmOr operates is not fully understood. To identify cellular and metabolic processes associated with CmOr allelic variation, we compared the transcriptome of bulks of developing fruit of homozygous orange and green fruited F3 families derived from a cross between orange and green fruited parental lines. Results: Pooling together F3 families that share same fruit flesh color and thus the same CmOr allelic variation, normalized traits unrelated to CmOr allelic variation. RNA sequencing analysis of these bulks enabled the identification of differentially expressed genes. These genes were clustered into functional groups. The relatively enriched functional groups were those involved in photosynthesis, RNA and protein regulation, and response to stress. Conclusions: The differentially expressed genes and the enriched processes identified here by bulk segregant RNA sequencing analysis are likely part of the regulatory network of CmOr. Our study demonstrates the resolution power of bulk segregant RNA sequencing in identifying genes related to commercially important traits and provides a useful tool for better understanding the mode of action of CmOr gene in the mediation of carotenoid accumulation.