Dong Wei, Wu Dewei, Yan Chen, Wu Defeng
School of Life Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2021 Sep 1;12:639431. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.639431. eCollection 2021.
Seed production is critical for watermelon production, which mostly involves first-generation hybrid varieties. However, watermelon hybrid seed production currently requires complex procedures, including artificial isolation and pollination. Therefore, the development and use of a male-sterile system to generate watermelon hybrids can simplify the process. The scarcity of male-sterile watermelon germplasm resources necessitates the use of molecular breeding methods. Unfortunately, the genes responsible for male sterility in watermelon have not been cloned. Thus, the genetic basis of the male sterility remains unknown. In this study, two DNA pools derived from male-sterile and normal plants in the F population were used for whole-genome resequencing. The Illumina high-throughput sequencing resulted in 62.99 Gbp clean reads, with a Q30 of 80% after filtering. On the basis of the SNP index association algorithm, eight candidate regions (0.32 Mb) related to specific traits were detected on chromosome 6. Expression pattern analyses and watermelon transformation studies generated preliminary evidence that encodes a pollen-specific leucine-rich repeat protein (ClaPEX1) influencing the male sterility of watermelon. The identification and use of genic male sterility genes will promote watermelon male sterility research and lay the foundation for the efficient application of seed production technology.
种子生产对西瓜生产至关重要，西瓜生产大多涉及第一代杂交品种。然而，目前西瓜杂交种子生产需要复杂的程序，包括人工隔离和授粉。因此，开发和利用雄性不育系统来培育西瓜杂交种可以简化这一过程。雄性不育西瓜种质资源的稀缺使得有必要采用分子育种方法。不幸的是，西瓜中负责雄性不育的基因尚未被克隆。因此，雄性不育的遗传基础仍然未知。在本研究中，利用F群体中雄性不育和正常植株的两个DNA池进行全基因组重测序。Illumina高通量测序产生了62.99 Gbp的 clean reads，过滤后Q30为80%。基于SNP指数关联算法，在6号染色体上检测到8个与特定性状相关的候选区域（0.32 Mb）。表达模式分析和西瓜转化研究产生了初步证据，表明 编码一种影响西瓜雄性不育的花粉特异性富含亮氨酸重复蛋白（ClaPEX1）。genic male sterility基因的鉴定和利用将促进西瓜雄性不育研究，并为种子生产技术的高效应用奠定基础。
