Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2023, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (2): 308-318.DOI: 3969/j.issn.1004-1524.2023.02.08

• Horticultural Science • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Identification and preliminary functional characterization of SWEET sugar transporters involved in fruit development of melon (Cucumis melo L.)

LI Pingfang1,2(), YAO Xiefeng2,*(), XU Jinhua2, ZHU Lingli2, YANG Xingping2,*()   

  1. 1. Department of Agriculture, Teaching and Researching Center, Zhejiang Open University, Hangzhou 310012, China
    2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Institute of Vegetable Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
  • Received:2022-05-20 Online:2023-02-25 Published:2023-03-14
  • Contact: YAO Xiefeng,YANG Xingping

Abstract:

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important summer fruits in China and worldwide. The quality and yield of melon fruits are largely determined by the types and amounts of carbohydrates contained in the fruits. SWEET(sugars will eventually be exported transporters) are a new class of proteins with the ability to transport glucose and other oligosaccharides, and recent studies have shown that SWEET sugar transporters may play a role in regulating the fruit development. In this study, 18 SWEETs genes were identified from the melon genome, and further through RT-PCR combined with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) methods, three SWEETs genes with high expression level were identified during the whole or certain period of fruit development stages. Subcellular localization showed that two SWEETs genes(CmSWEET3,CmSWEET7a) were localized on the cell membrane. Further cloned into a yeast vector system, it was found that CmSWEET7a has the function of transporting glucose and fructose in vitro. This study laid the foundation for revealing the regulatory role of SWEET in the development process of melon fruit.

Key words: melon, fruit, sugar transporter, SWEET

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