Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i>
Dehydrins (DHNs; late embryogenesis-abundant D11 family) are a class of hydrophilic proteins involved in plant abiotic stress response. However, there is less information regarding DHN gene function in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. Herein, 34 DHN gene family members were identified and characte...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Chong Zhang Qiang Chen Xinqi Guo Hongbo Pang Ying Zhang |
| author_facet | Chong Zhang Qiang Chen Xinqi Guo Hongbo Pang Ying Zhang |
| author_sort | Chong Zhang |
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| description | Dehydrins (DHNs; late embryogenesis-abundant D11 family) are a class of hydrophilic proteins involved in plant abiotic stress response. However, there is less information regarding DHN gene function in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. Herein, 34 DHN gene family members were identified and characterized in <i>Cucumis sativus</i>, <i>Cucumis melo</i>, <i>Citrullus lanatus</i>, <i>Benincasa hispida</i>, <i>Lagenaria siceraria</i>, and <i>Cucurbita maxima</i>. The DHN genes in the six <i>cucurbit</i> crops exhibited greater collinearity within subfamilies than between different subfamilies. Responses to stress (including low-temperature, salt, cadmium, and aluminum stress) varied among the DHN members, with a significant alteration in the expression of the acidic SnKn-type DHN gene <i>CmDHN3</i> in response to aluminum stress. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that <i>CmDHN3</i> is expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed a remarkable decrease in <i>CmDHN3</i> expression, which markedly increased malondialdehyde content, relative conductivity, and proline content in the roots and leaves of plants under aluminum stress. Transcriptome analysis showed that the decreased <i>CmDHN3</i> expression reduced the expression of water channel protein-encoding genes. Interactions between CmDHN3 and CmAQP1 (MELO3C007188) and between CmDHN3 and CmAQP2 (MELO3C020774) were confirmed using yeast two-hybrid assays. These results clarify the pathway by which dehydrin genes are involved in the transcriptional-level response of melon to aluminum stress and provide a theoretical basis to comprehensively analyze the functions of this gene family in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-09e21256b7ba4e2c962a6bfdecd9c127 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-09e21256b7ba4e2c962a6bfdecd9c1272025-08-20T03:47:57ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-04-0111548010.3390/horticulturae11050480Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i>Chong Zhang0Qiang Chen1Xinqi Guo2Hongbo Pang3Ying Zhang4College of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, 253 Huanghe North Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110034, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, 253 Huanghe North Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110034, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, 253 Huanghe North Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110034, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, 253 Huanghe North Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110034, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, 253 Huanghe North Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang 110034, ChinaDehydrins (DHNs; late embryogenesis-abundant D11 family) are a class of hydrophilic proteins involved in plant abiotic stress response. However, there is less information regarding DHN gene function in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. Herein, 34 DHN gene family members were identified and characterized in <i>Cucumis sativus</i>, <i>Cucumis melo</i>, <i>Citrullus lanatus</i>, <i>Benincasa hispida</i>, <i>Lagenaria siceraria</i>, and <i>Cucurbita maxima</i>. The DHN genes in the six <i>cucurbit</i> crops exhibited greater collinearity within subfamilies than between different subfamilies. Responses to stress (including low-temperature, salt, cadmium, and aluminum stress) varied among the DHN members, with a significant alteration in the expression of the acidic SnKn-type DHN gene <i>CmDHN3</i> in response to aluminum stress. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that <i>CmDHN3</i> is expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed a remarkable decrease in <i>CmDHN3</i> expression, which markedly increased malondialdehyde content, relative conductivity, and proline content in the roots and leaves of plants under aluminum stress. Transcriptome analysis showed that the decreased <i>CmDHN3</i> expression reduced the expression of water channel protein-encoding genes. Interactions between CmDHN3 and CmAQP1 (MELO3C007188) and between CmDHN3 and CmAQP2 (MELO3C020774) were confirmed using yeast two-hybrid assays. These results clarify the pathway by which dehydrin genes are involved in the transcriptional-level response of melon to aluminum stress and provide a theoretical basis to comprehensively analyze the functions of this gene family in <i>cucurbit</i> crops.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/5/480<i>Cucurbitaceae</i>dehydrinoriental melonaluminum stress<i>CmDHN3</i> |
| spellingShingle | Chong Zhang Qiang Chen Xinqi Guo Hongbo Pang Ying Zhang Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> Horticulturae <i>Cucurbitaceae</i> dehydrin oriental melon aluminum stress <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title | Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title_full | Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title_fullStr | Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title_short | Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| title_sort | aluminum stress of oriental melon i cucumis melo i l is linked to the dehydrin i cmdhn3 i |
| topic | <i>Cucurbitaceae</i> dehydrin oriental melon aluminum stress <i>CmDHN3</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/5/480 |
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