@Article{phyton.2023.026928,
AUTHOR = {Shixiang Duan, Yaomiao Guo, Yinping Wang, Muhammad Jawad Umer, Dongming Liu, Sen Yang, Huanhuan Niu, Shouru Sun, Luming Yang, Junling Dou, Huayu Zhu},
TITLE = {<i>HD-Zip</i> Transcription Factor is Responsible for No-Lobed Leaf in Watermelon (<i>Citrullus lanatus</i> L.)},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {92},
YEAR = {2023},
NUMBER = {5},
PAGES = {1311--1328},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v92n5/51866},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {Leaf is a vital organ of plants that plays an essential role in photosynthesis and respiration. As an important agronomic trait in leaf development, leaf shape is classified into lobed, entire (no-lobed), and serrated in most crops. In this study, two-lobed leaf watermelon inbred lines WT2 and WCZ, and a no-lobed leaf watermelon inbred line WT20 were used to create two F<sub>2</sub> populations. Segregation analysis suggested that lobed leaves were dominant over the no-lobed leaves, and it was controlled by a signal gene. A locus on watermelon chromosome 4 controlling watermelon lobed/no-lobed leaves was identified through BSA-seq strategy combined with linkage analysis. The candidate gene was fine-mapped to a 61.5 kb region between 21,224,481 and 21,285,957 bp on watermelon chromosome 4 using two F<sub>2</sub> populations. Four functional genes were annotated in the candidate region, while sequences blast showed that there was a single-base deletion (A/-) only in the exon of <i>Cla018360</i>, which resulted in premature termination of translation in the no-lobed leaf lines. Function prediction showed that <i>Cla018360</i> encodes an HD-Zip protein that has been reported to regulate the development of leaf shape. The single-base deletion also occurred in the HD-Zip domain. We inferred that the <i>Cla018360</i> gene is the candidate gene for regulating the development of lobed/no-lobed leaves in watermelon. Gene expression analysis showed that <i>Cla018360</i> was highly expressed in young leaves. Phylogenetic analysis showed that <i>Cla018360</i> had a close genetic relationship with <i>AtHB51</i>, which had been reported to regulate the formation of leaf shape in <i>Arabidopsis</i>. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis showed that a total of 333 differentially expressed genes were identified between WT2 and WT20, of which 115 and 218 genes were upregulated and downregulated in no-lobed leaved watermelon WT20. This study not only provides a good entry point for studying leaf development but also provides foundational insights into breeding for special plant architecture in watermelon.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2023.026928}
}