Targeted Metabolites and Transcriptome Analysis Uncover the Putative Role of Auxin in Floral Sex Determination in <i>Litchi chinensis</i> Sonn.
Zhe Chen,
Tingting Yan,
Farhat Abbas,
Mingchao Yang,
Xianghe Wang,
Hao Deng,
Hongna Zhang,
Fuchu Hu
Affiliations
Zhe Chen
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Tingting Yan
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Farhat Abbas
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Mingchao Yang
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Xianghe Wang
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Hao Deng
Institute of Agro-Products Processing and Design, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Cold-Chain of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Hongna Zhang
Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Tropical Horticultural Crops, School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Danzhou 571737, China
Fuchu Hu
Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization of Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Tree Biology of Hainan Province, Haikou 571100, China
Litchi exhibits a large number of flowers, many flowering batches, and an inconsistent ratio of male and female flowers, frequently leading to a low fruit-setting rate. Floral sexual differentiation is a crucial phase in perennial trees to ensure optimal fruit production. However, the mechanism behind floral differentiation remains unclear. The objective of the study was to identify the role of auxin in floral differentiation at the transcriptional level. The results showed that the ratio of female flowers treated with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was significantly lower than that of the control stage (M0/F0). The levels of endogenous auxin and auxin metabolites were measured in male and female flowers at different stages of development. It was found that the levels of IAA, IAA-Glu, IAA-Asp, and IAA-Ala were significantly higher in male flowers compared to female flowers. Next-generation sequencing and modeling were employed to perform an in-depth transcriptome analysis on all flower buds in litchi ‘Feizixiao’ cultivars (Litchi chinensis Sonn.). Plant hormones were found to exert a significant impact on the litchi flowering process and flower proliferation. Specifically, a majority of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the auxin pathway were noticeably increased during male flower bud differentiation. The current findings will enhance our comprehension of the process and control mechanism of litchi floral sexual differentiation. It also offers a theoretical foundation for implementing strategies to regulate flowering and enhance fruit production in litchi cultivation.
