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Horticulturae
Volume 12
Issue 5
10.3390/horticulturae12050518
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Article

Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Uncovers the Roles of Fructose and Mannose Metabolism-Related Metabolites and Genes in Regulating Bitter Gourd Flesh Thickness and Exogenous Sugar Responses

by
Boyin Qiu
,
Qianrong Zhang
,
Hui Lin
,
Jianting Liu
,
Zuliang Li
,
Changhui Bai
,
Qingfang Wen
,
Dazhong Li
* and
Haisheng Zhu
*
Fujian Key Laboratory of Vegetable Genetics and Breeding, Crops Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2026, 12(5), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050518
Submission received: 27 March 2026 / Revised: 18 April 2026 / Accepted: 21 April 2026 / Published: 23 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Breeding in Vegetables: The Mining and Utilization of Key Genes Regulating Important Agronomic Traits)
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Abstract

Fruit flesh thickness is one of the key factors affecting the yield and quality of bitter melon, and its regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. One thick-flesh germplasm (KF) and one thin-flesh germplasm (NF) with significantly different flesh thicknesses were screened from 70 bitter melon germplasms. Through phenotypic surveys, combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses, and exogenous sugar treatments, the regulatory mechanisms on flesh thickness were preliminary investigated. The results showed that flesh thickness of the two germplasms remained stable during different years and seasons. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that fructose and mannose metabolism pathway significantly enriched in both omics datasets. The expression of key enzyme encoding genes from this pathway exhibited various expression patterns. In KF, most genes showed significantly higher expression levels than NF, with synergistic expression predominating among genes. Soluble sugar content was positively correlated with gene expression, while HXK, SDH, and TPI activities were negatively correlated with most genes, and FBP activity was positively correlated with most genes. Genes affect carbon source metabolic flux distribution by promoting sugar synthesis and inhibiting sugar respiration consumption. Exogenous sugar treatment exhibited germplasm-specific and concentration-dependent influence of gene expression, with KF primarily showing negative feedback and NF predominantly activating expression. Fruit flesh thickness was significantly positively correlated with the synergistic high expression of sugar metabolism genes and soluble sugar accumulation. This study provides a theoretical basis for molecular improvement of bitter melon fruit flesh thickness.
Keywords: bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.); flesh thickness; fructose and mannose metabolism; gene expression; regulating network bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.); flesh thickness; fructose and mannose metabolism; gene expression; regulating network

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MDPI and ACS Style

Qiu, B.; Zhang, Q.; Lin, H.; Liu, J.; Li, Z.; Bai, C.; Wen, Q.; Li, D.; Zhu, H. Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Uncovers the Roles of Fructose and Mannose Metabolism-Related Metabolites and Genes in Regulating Bitter Gourd Flesh Thickness and Exogenous Sugar Responses. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050518

AMA Style

Qiu B, Zhang Q, Lin H, Liu J, Li Z, Bai C, Wen Q, Li D, Zhu H. Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Uncovers the Roles of Fructose and Mannose Metabolism-Related Metabolites and Genes in Regulating Bitter Gourd Flesh Thickness and Exogenous Sugar Responses. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(5):518. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050518

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiu, Boyin, Qianrong Zhang, Hui Lin, Jianting Liu, Zuliang Li, Changhui Bai, Qingfang Wen, Dazhong Li, and Haisheng Zhu. 2026. "Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Uncovers the Roles of Fructose and Mannose Metabolism-Related Metabolites and Genes in Regulating Bitter Gourd Flesh Thickness and Exogenous Sugar Responses" Horticulturae 12, no. 5: 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050518

APA Style

Qiu, B., Zhang, Q., Lin, H., Liu, J., Li, Z., Bai, C., Wen, Q., Li, D., & Zhu, H. (2026). Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Uncovers the Roles of Fructose and Mannose Metabolism-Related Metabolites and Genes in Regulating Bitter Gourd Flesh Thickness and Exogenous Sugar Responses. Horticulturae, 12(5), 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12050518

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