Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the mechanisms underlying leaf variegation in 'Gonggan' mandarin

文献类型： 外文期刊

第一作者： Shi, Cong

作者： Shi, Cong;Gu, Miaofeng;You, Congjun;Bao, Sihan;Xie, Shuangling;Gong, Jinli;Sun, Xuepeng;Shi, Cong;Huang, Yongjing;Deng, Guiming;Wu, Pingzhi;Wu, Wen;Zhu, Congyi;Zeng, Jiwu

作者机构：

关键词： Plant genome; leaf variegation; Chloroplast development; Citrus; Genome assembly; Transcriptome; Gene co-expression network

期刊名称：BMC PLANT BIOLOGY （ 影响因子：4.8； 五年影响因子：5.4 ）

ISSN： 1471-2229

年卷期： 2025 年 25 卷 1 期

页码：

收录情况： SCI

摘要： BackgroundThe 'Gonggan' mandarin, an elite local cultivar from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, combines the qualities of mandarin and sweet orange. A leaf-variegated mutant enhances its ornamental and economic value, providing an excellent model for studying chloroplast development and photosynthetic pigment metabolism in citrus.ResultsWe found that, in this variegated mutant, chloroplasts are severely deficient or absent in mesophyll cells. Physiological assessments revealed lower levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and stomatal conductance (Gs), alongside significantly higher non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN), reflecting increased photoprotective energy dissipation. To uncover the molecular basis of leaf variegation, high-quality genome assemblies and transcriptomes were generated for both the normal and variegated 'Gonggan' mandarin, enabling comparative multi-omics analysis. Key genes involved in chloroplast development, such as TOC159, PDV2, THA8, and SIG5, were downregulated in the variegated leaves. Similarly, structural genes linked to chlorophyll degradation, including CLH2, SGR, NOL, and NYC1, exhibited altered expression. Downregulation of transcription factors GLK, GNC, and GNC-LIKE (GNL), known regulators of chloroplast development and chlorophyll biosynthesis, was also observed.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that disrupted expression of critical genes impacts chloroplast development and pigment metabolism, causing the leaf variegation phenotype. Overall, this study lays a foundation for functional genomics research and potential germplasm improvement of 'Gonggan' mandarin, and provides new insights into the mechanisms driving color variation in citrus.

分类号：

  • 相关文献
作者其他论文 更多>>

微信小程序