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Applied Sciences
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Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables
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Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2022) | Viewed by 22122

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Huasen Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China
Interests: molecular biology of vegetables; vegetable growth and development; ideotype; sex differentiation; plant biotic and abiotic stresses; mineral element absorption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, research into vegetables’ molecular biology has expanded to all aspects of vegetables science. As an important economic crop, the acreage, yield, and demand for vegetables have increased in recent years. Vegetables are inescapably affected by abiotic stresses including drought, salt, extreme temperature, and heavy metals. A green and efficient production must guarantee high yield, high quality, and multiresistant varieties of vegetables, and the selection and breeding of excellent new varieties cannot take place without accurate and efficient breeding technology. Molecular biological research on important agronomic traits, such as genetic mapping, molecular marker development, superior gene mining, functional genome research, etc., is the basis for the development of high-throughput and high-efficiency molecular design and breeding technologies. Due to the narrow genetic background of vegetables, the relevant molecular biology research progresses slowly before the decoding of the whole genome sequence information. This Special Issue aims to collect research articles and review papers on the biochemical and physiological aspects of vegetables’ molecular biology, as well as papers describing recent developments in the pervasive roles of molecular biology in vegetable development, integrating metabolism, and plant–environment interactions.

Prof. Dr. Huasen Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular biology
  • vegetable growth and development
  • abiotic stress
  • biotic stress
  • agronomic trait
  • genetic breeding
  • map-based cloning

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 2819 KiB  
Article
Identification of Genomic Regions Associated with Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Cowpea
by Junyang Dong, Yuqin Song, Baogen Wang, Xiaohua Wu, Ying Wang, Jian Wang, Zhongfu Lu, Yan Zhang, Guojing Li, Xinyi Wu and Huasen Wang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 6889; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12146889 - 07 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1477
Abstract
Fusarium wilt (FW), caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Tracheiphilum, is a serious threat to cowpea production worldwide. Understanding the genetic architecture of FW resistance is a prerequisite to combatting this disease and developing FW resistance varieties. In [...] Read more.
Fusarium wilt (FW), caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Tracheiphilum, is a serious threat to cowpea production worldwide. Understanding the genetic architecture of FW resistance is a prerequisite to combatting this disease and developing FW resistance varieties. In the current study, a genetic diversity panel of 99 cowpea accessions was collected, and they were infected by a single strain, FW-HZ. The disease index (DI) based on the two indicators of leaf damage (LFD) and vascular discoloration (VD) varied highly across the population: most accessions were susceptible, and only seven accessions showed resistant phenotypes by both indicators. Through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), 3 and 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with LFD and VD were detected, respectively, which were distributed on chromosomes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9, accounting for 0.68–13.92% of phenotypic variation. Based on the cowpea reference genome, 30 putative genes were identified and proposed as the likely candidates, including leucine-rich repeat protein kinase family protein, protein kinase superfamily protein and zinc finger family protein. These results provide novel insights into the genetic architecture of FW resistance and a basis for molecular breeding of FW resistant cultivars in cowpea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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13 pages, 3846 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Characterization of the Roles of Abscisic Acid and Calcium Signaling during Water Deficit in Garlic
by Guang-Long Wang, Ling-Yi Liu, Qi-Zhang Wang, Xu-Qin Ren, Ai-Sheng Xiong and Jie Tian
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2440; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052440 - 26 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1485
Abstract
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops, and breeding drought-tolerant varieties is a vital research goal. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms in response to drought stress in garlic are still limited. In this study, garlic seedlings were [...] Read more.
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops, and breeding drought-tolerant varieties is a vital research goal. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms in response to drought stress in garlic are still limited. In this study, garlic seedlings were subjected to 15% PEG6000 for 0, 1, 4, and 12 h, respectively, to simulate drought stress. Changes of transcriptomes as a result of drought stress in garlic leaves were determined by de novo assembly using the Illumina platform. In total, 96,712 unigenes and 11,936 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the presence of drought conditions. Transcriptome profiling revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, MAPK signaling pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant hormone signal transduction. Genes involved in abscisic acid and calcium signaling were further investigated and discussed. Our results indicated that a coordinated interplay between abscisic acid and calcium is required for drought-induced response in garlic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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10 pages, 3613 KiB  
Article
Cloning and Functional Identification of SlPG49 in Solanum lycopersicum
by Weiqiang Li, Liai Xu, Rui Xia, Ying Shen, Zhujun Zhu, Youjian Yu and Yunxiang Zang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11450; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311450 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1427
Abstract
The modification and degradation of pectin in cell walls are necessary for the fruit softening process, which involves a series of pectin-modifying enzymes. Polygalacturonases (PGs) are a major group of pectin-hydrolyzing enzymes, which participate in fruit maturation, organ shedding, pollen development, and other [...] Read more.
The modification and degradation of pectin in cell walls are necessary for the fruit softening process, which involves a series of pectin-modifying enzymes. Polygalacturonases (PGs) are a major group of pectin-hydrolyzing enzymes, which participate in fruit maturation, organ shedding, pollen development, and other processes by catalyzing the degradation of polygalacturonic acid. However, their function in plants has not yet been fully elucidated. In this paper, a full-length cDNA encoding SlPG49 was cloned from a tomato. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that SlPG49 contains four typical conserved domains and belongs to clade E in PG classification. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that SlPG49 was highly expressed in fruits during the softening stage, indicating that SlPG49 may be involved in fruit softening. Subcellular localization results revealed that SlPG49 was located in the cell membrane and the cell wall. In addition, an in vitro enzymatic activity assay confirmed that SlPG49 does have the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of polygalacturonic acid. These results indicate that SlPG49 is a newly discovered PG gene involved in tomato fruit softening, and provide an experimental basis for elucidating the biological functions of plant PGs during fruit softening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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11 pages, 1869 KiB  
Article
The Glutamate Receptor Plays a Role in Defense against Botrytis cinerea through Electrical Signaling in Tomato
by Shuxian Feng, Caizhe Pan, Shuting Ding, Qiaomei Ma, Chaoyi Hu, Ping Wang and Kai Shi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11217; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311217 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
Plant glutamate-like receptor genes (GLRs) are homologous to mammalian ionotropic glutamate receptors genes (iGluRs). Although GLRs have been implicated in plant defenses to biotic stress, the relationship between GLR-mediated plant immunity against fungal pathogens and electrical signals remains poorly [...] Read more.
Plant glutamate-like receptor genes (GLRs) are homologous to mammalian ionotropic glutamate receptors genes (iGluRs). Although GLRs have been implicated in plant defenses to biotic stress, the relationship between GLR-mediated plant immunity against fungal pathogens and electrical signals remains poorly understood. Here, we found that pretreatment with a GLR inhibitor, 6,7-dinitriquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), increased the susceptibility of tomato plants to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Assessment of the glr3.3, glr3.5 and glr3.3/glr3.5 double-mutants upon B. cinerea infection showed that tomato GLR3.3 and GLR3.5 are essential for plant immunity against B. cinerea, wherein GLR3.3 plays the main role. Analysis of the membrane potential changes induced by glutamate (Glu) or glycine (Gly) revealed that amplitude was significantly reduced by knocking out GLR3.3 in tomato. While treatment with Glu or Gly significantly increased immunity against B. cinerea in wild-type plants, this effect was significantly attenuated in glr3.3 mutants. Thus, our data demonstrate that GLR3.3- and GLR3.5-mediated plant immunity against B. cinerea is associated with electrical signals in tomato plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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19 pages, 47291 KiB  
Article
Comparative Transcriptomics for Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under Cold Stress and after Rewarming
by Wu Miao, Jingshuang Song, Yanwu Huang, Rongyun Liu, Gaofeng Zou, Lijun Ou and Zhoubin Liu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10204; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110204 - 31 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2229
Abstract
Cold stress has become one of the main abiotic stresses in pepper, which severely limits the growth and development of pepper. In this study, the physiological indicators and transcriptome of a cold-tolerance (CT) inbred line A188 and a cold-sensitive (CS) inbred line A122 [...] Read more.
Cold stress has become one of the main abiotic stresses in pepper, which severely limits the growth and development of pepper. In this study, the physiological indicators and transcriptome of a cold-tolerance (CT) inbred line A188 and a cold-sensitive (CS) inbred line A122 under cold–rewarm treatments were studied; the aim of this study was to determine the potential of the key factors in pepper response to cold stress. Compared with CT, CS wilts more seriously after cold stress, with poor resilience, higher content of malondialdehyde, and lower content of soluble sugar and total chlorophyll. Moreover, during cold treatment, 7333 and 5953 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed for CT and CS, respectively. These DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to photosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, and DNA damage repair. Interestingly, in addition to the widely studied transcription factors related to cold, it was also found that 13 NAC transcription factors increased significantly in the T4 group; meanwhile, the NAC8 (Capana02g003557) and NAC72 (Capana07g002219) in CT were significantly higher than those in CS under rewarming for 1 h after 72 h cold treatment. Notably, weighted gene coexpression network analysis identified four positively correlated modules and eight hub genes, including zinc finger proteins, heat shock 70 kda protein, and cytochrome P450 family, which are related to cold tolerance. All of these pathways and genes may be responsible for the response to cold and even the cold tolerance in pepper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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13 pages, 2822 KiB  
Article
Identification and Characterization of Known and Novel MicroRNAs in Five Tissues of Wax Gourd (Benincasa hispida) Based on High-Throughput Sequencing
by Jinqiang Yan, Min Wang, Wenrui Liu, Dasen Xie, Xiaoming He, Qingwu Peng and Biao Jiang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10068; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110068 - 27 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1639
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous single-stranded non-coding small RNAs of 20–24 nucleotides and play important roles in many plant biological and metabolic processes. Wax gourd is an important vegetable of Cucurbitacea family, with great economic and medicinal value. Although miRNAs have been extensively studied [...] Read more.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous single-stranded non-coding small RNAs of 20–24 nucleotides and play important roles in many plant biological and metabolic processes. Wax gourd is an important vegetable of Cucurbitacea family, with great economic and medicinal value. Although miRNAs have been extensively studied in model plant species, less is known in wax gourd (Benincasa hispida). In this study, in order to identify miRNAs in wax groud, five independent small RNA libraries were constructed using leaf, root, stem, flower, and fruit of B227. Based on high-throughput Illumina deep sequencing. In total, 422 known and 409 novel miRNAs were identified from five libraries. Comparative analysis revealed that many miRNAs were differentially expressed among different tissues, indicating tissue-specific expression of some miRNAs. qRT-PCR verified the reliability of small RNA sequencing results. Furthermore, miRNAs with similar expression patterns among five tissues were clustered into the same profile, among which many miRNAs were found with relatively high expression in the fruit of wax gourd. MiR164-x had the highest expression in fruit than in other tissues and many NAC transcription factors were predicted as its target genes. We propose that miR164 might regulate fruit development by forming miR164-NAC module in wax gourd. Taken together, this study provides the first global miRNAs profiling of wax gourd, and lays the foundation for understanding the regulatory roles of miRNAs in the growth and development processes of wax gourd. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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Review

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16 pages, 1055 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in the Regeneration and Genetic Transformation System of Cucumber
by Jihong Tan, Lili Lin, Haiyan Luo, Shengjun Zhou, Yuqiang Zhu, Xin Wang, Li Miao, Huasen Wang and Peng Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7180; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147180 - 16 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2703
Abstract
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), belonging to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), is one of the major vegetable crops in China. Conventional genetic breeding methods are ineffective for improving the tolerance of cucumber to various environmental stresses, diseases, and pests in the short term, [...] Read more.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), belonging to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), is one of the major vegetable crops in China. Conventional genetic breeding methods are ineffective for improving the tolerance of cucumber to various environmental stresses, diseases, and pests in the short term, but bio-engineering technologies can be applied to cucumber breeding to produce new cultivars with high yield and quality. Regeneration and genetic transformation systems are key technologies in modern cucumber breeding. Compared with regeneration systems, genetic transformation systems are not yet fully effective, and the low efficiency of genetic transformation is a bottleneck in cucumber cultivation. Here, we systematically review the key factors influencing the regeneration and genetic transformation of cucumber plants, including the selection of genotype, source of explants and forms of exogenous hormones added to the medium, the methods of transgene introduction and co-cultivation, and selection methods. In addition, we also focus on recent advances in the study of molecular mechanisms underlying important agronomic traits using genetic transformation technology, such as fruit length, fruit warts, and floral development. This review provides reference information for future research on improvements in cucumber varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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16 pages, 1746 KiB  
Review
Advances in Understanding Silicon Transporters and the Benefits to Silicon-Associated Disease Resistance in Plants
by Ruonan Li, Yihan Sun, Hongzhen Wang and Huasen Wang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3282; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073282 - 23 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2541
Abstract
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element after oxygen in the earth’s crust and soil. It is available for plant growth and development, and it is considered as quasi-essential for plant growth. The uptake and transport of Si is mediated by Si [...] Read more.
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element after oxygen in the earth’s crust and soil. It is available for plant growth and development, and it is considered as quasi-essential for plant growth. The uptake and transport of Si is mediated by Si transporters. With the study of the molecular mechanism of Si uptake and transport in higher plants, different proteins and coding genes with different characteristics have been identified in numerous plants. Therefore, the accumulation, uptake and transport mechanisms of Si in various plants appear to be quite different. Many studies have reported that Si is beneficial for plant survival when challenged by disease, and it can also enhance plant resistance to pathogens, even at low Si accumulation levels. In this review, we discuss the distribution of Si in plants, as well as Si uptake, transport and accumulation, with a focus on recent advances in the study of Si transporters in different plants and the beneficial roles of Si in disease resistance. Finally, the application prospects are reviewed, leading to an exploration of the benefits of Si uptake for plant resistance against pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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13 pages, 987 KiB  
Review
Genetic and Molecular Regulation Mechanisms in the Formation and Development of Vegetable Fruit Shape
by Chen Wang, Jiajian Cao, Ning Hao and Tao Wu
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1514; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031514 - 30 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3103
Abstract
Vegetable crops have a long history of cultivation worldwide and rich germplasm resources. With its continuous development and progress, molecular biology technology has been applied to various fields of vegetable crop research. Fruit is an important organ in vegetable crops, and fruit shape [...] Read more.
Vegetable crops have a long history of cultivation worldwide and rich germplasm resources. With its continuous development and progress, molecular biology technology has been applied to various fields of vegetable crop research. Fruit is an important organ in vegetable crops, and fruit shape can affect the yield and commercialization of vegetables. In nature, fruits show differences in size and shape. Based on fruit shape diversity, the growth direction and coordination mechanism of fruits remain unclear. In this review, we discuss the latest research on fruit shape. In addition, we compare the current theories on the molecular mechanisms that regulate fruit growth, size, and shape in different vegetable families. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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10 pages, 290 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Understanding the Function of the PGIP Gene and the Research of Its Proteins for the Disease Resistance of Plants
by Siqi Cheng, Ruonan Li, Lili Lin, Haojie Shi, Xunyan Liu and Chao Yu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11123; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311123 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2236
Abstract
Polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) is an important plant biochemical anti-disease factor. PGIP has a leucine-rich repeat structure that can selectively bind and inhibit the activity of endo-polygalacturonase (endo-PG) in fungi, playing a key role in plant disease resistance. The regulation of PGIP in plant [...] Read more.
Polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) is an important plant biochemical anti-disease factor. PGIP has a leucine-rich repeat structure that can selectively bind and inhibit the activity of endo-polygalacturonase (endo-PG) in fungi, playing a key role in plant disease resistance. The regulation of PGIP in plant disease resistance has been well studied, and the effect of PGIP to increase disease resistance is clear. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the PGIP protein structure, the PGIP mechanism of plant disease resistance, and anti-disease activity by PGIP gene transfer. This overview should contribute to a better understanding of PGIP function and can help guide resistance breeding of PGIP for anti-disease effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in the Molecular Biology of Vegetables)
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