Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China.
Genes (Basel). 2021 Feb 25;12(3):341. doi: 10.3390/genes12030341.
Eggplant is one of the most important vegetables worldwide. Prickles on the leaves, stems and fruit calyxes of eggplant may cause difficulties during cultivation, harvesting and transportation, and therefore is an undesirable agronomic trait. However, limited knowledge about molecular mechanisms of prickle morphogenesis has hindered the genetic improvement of eggplant. In this study, we performed the phenotypic characterization and transcriptome analysis on prickly and prickleless eggplant genotypes to understand prickle development at the morphological and molecular levels. Morphological analysis revealed that eggplant prickles were multicellular, lignified and layered organs. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified key pathways and hub genes involved in the cell cycle as well as flavonoid biosynthetic, photosynthetic, and hormone metabolic processes during prickle development. Interestingly, genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis were up-regulated in developing prickles, and genes associated with photosynthesis were down-regulated in developing and matured prickles. It was also noteworthy that several development-related transcription factors such as bHLH, C2H2, MYB, TCP and WRKY were specifically down- or up-regulated in developing prickles. Furthermore, four genes were found to be differentially expressed within the locus interval. This study provides new insights into the regulatory molecular mechanisms underlying prickle morphogenesis in eggplant, and the genes identified might be exploited in breeding programs to develop prickleless eggplant cultivars.
茄子是世界上最重要的蔬菜之一。茄子的叶片、茎和果实花萼上的刺可能会在种植、收获和运输过程中造成困难，因此是一种不理想的农艺性状。然而，对刺形态发生分子机制的了解有限，阻碍了茄子的遗传改良。在这项研究中，我们对多刺和无刺茄子基因型进行了表型特征和转录组分析，以了解刺的形态发生在形态和分子水平上的情况。形态分析表明，茄子刺是多细胞的、木质化的和分层的器官。比较转录组分析鉴定了在刺发育过程中涉及细胞周期以及类黄酮生物合成、光合作用和激素代谢过程的关键途径和枢纽基因。有趣的是，在发育中的刺中上调了与类黄酮生物合成相关的基因，而在发育和成熟的刺中下调了与光合作用相关的基因。值得注意的是，几个与发育相关的转录因子，如 bHLH、C2H2、MYB、TCP 和 WRKY，在发育中的刺中特异性地下调或上调。此外，在 位点区间内发现了四个差异表达的基因。本研究为茄子刺形态发生的调控分子机制提供了新的见解，鉴定出的基因可能被用于培育无刺茄子品种的计划。
