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Volume 14
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10.3390/plants14152300
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Exploring the Metabolic Pathways of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Yellow Leaf Mutants via Metabolomics

by
Fan Zhang
1,
Kexin Chen
1,
Dongyang Dai
1,
Bing Liu
2,
Yaokun Wu
2 and
Yunyan Sheng
1,*
1
College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163000, China
2
Daqing Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Daqing 163000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2300; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152300
Submission received: 25 March 2025 / Revised: 18 July 2025 / Accepted: 23 July 2025 / Published: 25 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Plant Molecular Biology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

A yellow leaf mutant named ‘ZT00091’ was discovered during the cultivation of the melon variety ‘ZT091’. An analysis of the leaf ultrastructure revealed that the chloroplasts of ‘ZT00091’ were significantly smaller than those of ‘ZT091’, with irregular shapes, blurred contours, and no starch granules. Metabolomic analysis revealed 792 differentially abundant metabolites between ‘ZT00091’ and ‘ZT091’, with 273 upregulated and 519 downregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) results indicated that the differentially abundant metabolites were enriched mainly in the carotenoid pathway. qRT‒PCR was used to analyze key genes in the carotenoid pathway of melon. Compared with those in ‘ZT091’, the genes promoting carotenoids and lutein in ‘ZT00091’ were significantly upregulated, which may explain the yellow color of ‘ZT00091’ leaves. Significant differences in the chlorophyll contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll) and carotenoid contents were found between ‘ZT00091’ and ‘ZT091’, indicating that the yellowing of melon leaves is related to changes in the carotenoid and chlorophyll contents. This study provides a theoretical basis for research on the molecular mechanism of melon yellowing.
Keywords: melon yellow leaf mutant ZT00091; carotenoid; chlorophyll; metabolomics; qRT‒PCR melon yellow leaf mutant ZT00091; carotenoid; chlorophyll; metabolomics; qRT‒PCR

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, F.; Chen, K.; Dai, D.; Liu, B.; Wu, Y.; Sheng, Y. Exploring the Metabolic Pathways of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Yellow Leaf Mutants via Metabolomics. Plants 2025, 14, 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152300

AMA Style

Zhang F, Chen K, Dai D, Liu B, Wu Y, Sheng Y. Exploring the Metabolic Pathways of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Yellow Leaf Mutants via Metabolomics. Plants. 2025; 14(15):2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152300

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Fan, Kexin Chen, Dongyang Dai, Bing Liu, Yaokun Wu, and Yunyan Sheng. 2025. "Exploring the Metabolic Pathways of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Yellow Leaf Mutants via Metabolomics" Plants 14, no. 15: 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152300

APA Style

Zhang, F., Chen, K., Dai, D., Liu, B., Wu, Y., & Sheng, Y. (2025). Exploring the Metabolic Pathways of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Yellow Leaf Mutants via Metabolomics. Plants, 14(15), 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152300

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