Genome-Wide Identification of the SUN Gene Family in Melon ( Cucumis melo ) and Functional Characterization of Two CmSUN Genes in Regulating Fruit Shape Variation

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2022-12, Vol.23 (24), p.16047
• Main Authors: Ma, Ming, Liu, Suya, Wang, Zhiwei, Shao, Ran, Ye, Jianrong, Yan, Wei, Lv, Hailing, Hasi, Agula, Che, Gen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Bioinformatics; Calcium signalling; Calcium-binding protein; Calmodulin; Cell division; CmSUN; Cucumis melo; Cucumis melo - genetics; Cucurbitaceae - genetics; Cytoplasmic membranes; expression analysis; Flowers; Fruit - genetics; fruit shape regulation; Fruits; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Genes; Genetic transformation; Genomes; IQ67 domain; Localization; melon; Melons; Morphology; Ovaries; overexpression phenotype; Phylogenetics; Plant Breeding; Proteins; Reproductive organs; Signal transduction; Transcriptomes
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416047

Melon ( ) is an important economic crop cultivated worldwide. A unique gene family plays a crucial role in regulating plant growth and fruit development, but many family genes and their function have not been well-characterized in melon. In the present study, we performed genome-wide identification and bioinformatics analysis and identified 24 family genes that contain integrated and conserved IQ67 domain in the melon genome. Transcriptome data analysis and qRT-PCR results showed that most s are specifically enriched in melon reproductive organs, such as young flowers and ovaries. Through genetic transformation in melons, we found that overexpression of and led to an increased fruit shape index, suggesting that they act as essential regulators in melon fruit shape variation. Subcellular localization revealed that the CmSUN23-24 protein is located in the cytoplasmic membrane. A direct interaction between CmSUN23-24 and a Calmodulin protein CmCaM5 was found by yeast two-hybrid assay, which indicated their participation in the calcium signal transduction pathway in regulating plant growth. These findings revealed the molecular characteristics, expression profile, and functional pattern of the genes, and may provide the theoretical basis for the genetic improvement of melon fruit breeding.