Jiang Zhuanzhuan, Zhang Wanru, Li Ke, Huang Xin, Li Xiaojuan, Yang Shao
Key Lab. of Biodiversity Conservation and Characteristic Resource Utilization in Southwest Anhui, Anqing, 246133, China.
Anqing Forestry Technology Innovation Research Institute, Anqing, 246133, China.
Biochem Genet. 2025 Jul 12. doi: 10.1007/s10528-025-11184-2.
Trichosanthes kirilowii (Cucurbitaceae) is a dicotyledonous plant with morphologically and functionally distinct true leaves and cotyledons. This study integrates morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses to systematically compare these two leaf types. True leaves were significantly larger, thinner, and contained higher chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b content than the smaller, thicker cotyledons. Furthermore, chloroplast thylakoid protein distribution differed between the tissues, with cotyledons enriched in low-molecular-weight chloroplast proteins. Transcriptomic profiling revealed divergent expression of genes associated with chloroplast development, including those involved in photosynthesis, pigment biosynthesis, and hormone synthesis pathways. qPCR validated key differentially expressed genes. These findings provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the molecular and functional specialization of true leaves and cotyledons in T. kirilowii, offering insights into tissue-specific chloroplast development in dicots.
栝楼（葫芦科）是一种双子叶植物，其真叶和子叶在形态和功能上截然不同。本研究整合了形态学、生理学和转录组分析，以系统地比较这两种叶型。真叶明显更大、更薄，叶绿素a和叶绿素b含量高于更小、更厚的子叶。此外，叶绿体类囊体蛋白分布在不同组织间存在差异，子叶中富含低分子量叶绿体蛋白。转录组分析揭示了与叶绿体发育相关基因的差异表达，包括参与光合作用、色素生物合成和激素合成途径的基因。qPCR验证了关键差异表达基因。这些发现为理解栝楼真叶和子叶的分子和功能特化提供了一个全面的框架，为双子叶植物组织特异性叶绿体发育提供了见解。
