A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>)
Vine length is a crucial plant architecture trait in watermelon, which determines its height. In this study, we identified a dominant dwarf watermelon mutant by treating G42 with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). In order to clarify the causes of the dwarfism in mutants, genetic statistics, phenotypic o...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/562 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849433281709211648 |
|---|---|
| author | Ziwei Hu Leichen Zhang Jun Shi Quansheng Ying Huafeng Zhang Xingping Zhang Yun Deng Yuhong Wang |
| author_facet | Ziwei Hu Leichen Zhang Jun Shi Quansheng Ying Huafeng Zhang Xingping Zhang Yun Deng Yuhong Wang |
| author_sort | Ziwei Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vine length is a crucial plant architecture trait in watermelon, which determines its height. In this study, we identified a dominant dwarf watermelon mutant by treating G42 with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). In order to clarify the causes of the dwarfism in mutants, genetic statistics, phenotypic observation, and cytological observation were carried out. Meanwhile, individual resequencing combined with molecular markers was used to map the candidate gene. Our results demonstrated that the dwarf mutant exhibited incomplete dominance. The dwarf plants showed a decrease in the number of internodal cells, shortened internodes, and reduced vine length. Gene mapping indicated that the target gene responsible for this mutation was <i>ClTUA</i>, which encodes <i>α</i>-tubulin. A point mutation in the dwarf plants was identified, specifically, a change from C to T at the 1851st base pair. Further experiments, including transcriptome analysis and Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), revealed that this gene mutation affected auxin synthesis, leading to the dwarfing of the plants. This study provides new germplasm resources and a theoretical foundation for plant architecture breeding in watermelon. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-46b62bb5fdf94affaaff6c68aaa892f3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-46b62bb5fdf94affaaff6c68aaa892f32025-08-20T03:27:07ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-05-0111656210.3390/horticulturae11060562A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>)Ziwei Hu0Leichen Zhang1Jun Shi2Quansheng Ying3Huafeng Zhang4Xingping Zhang5Yun Deng6Yuhong Wang7Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaNingbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaNingbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaNingbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaNingbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaShandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Weifang 261325, ChinaShandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Weifang 261325, ChinaNingbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, ChinaVine length is a crucial plant architecture trait in watermelon, which determines its height. In this study, we identified a dominant dwarf watermelon mutant by treating G42 with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). In order to clarify the causes of the dwarfism in mutants, genetic statistics, phenotypic observation, and cytological observation were carried out. Meanwhile, individual resequencing combined with molecular markers was used to map the candidate gene. Our results demonstrated that the dwarf mutant exhibited incomplete dominance. The dwarf plants showed a decrease in the number of internodal cells, shortened internodes, and reduced vine length. Gene mapping indicated that the target gene responsible for this mutation was <i>ClTUA</i>, which encodes <i>α</i>-tubulin. A point mutation in the dwarf plants was identified, specifically, a change from C to T at the 1851st base pair. Further experiments, including transcriptome analysis and Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), revealed that this gene mutation affected auxin synthesis, leading to the dwarfing of the plants. This study provides new germplasm resources and a theoretical foundation for plant architecture breeding in watermelon.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/562watermelondwarf mutantgenetic mappingSNP<i>α</i>-tubulin geneauxin |
| spellingShingle | Ziwei Hu Leichen Zhang Jun Shi Quansheng Ying Huafeng Zhang Xingping Zhang Yun Deng Yuhong Wang A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) Horticulturae watermelon dwarf mutant genetic mapping SNP <i>α</i>-tubulin gene auxin |
| title | A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) |
| title_full | A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) |
| title_fullStr | A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) |
| title_short | A Point Mutation of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene <i>ClTUA</i> Causes Dominant Dwarf Phenotype in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i>) |
| title_sort | point mutation of the alpha tubulin gene i cltua i causes dominant dwarf phenotype in watermelon i citrullus lanatus i |
| topic | watermelon dwarf mutant genetic mapping SNP <i>α</i>-tubulin gene auxin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/562 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ziweihu apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT leichenzhang apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT junshi apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT quanshengying apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT huafengzhang apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT xingpingzhang apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT yundeng apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT yuhongwang apointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT ziweihu pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT leichenzhang pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT junshi pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT quanshengying pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT huafengzhang pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT xingpingzhang pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT yundeng pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi AT yuhongwang pointmutationofthealphatubulingeneicltuaicausesdominantdwarfphenotypeinwatermelonicitrulluslanatusi |