Genome-wide analysis of nuclear factor Y genes and functional investigation of watermelon ClNF-YB9 during seed development
Qin Feng,
Ling Xiao,
Jiafa Wang,
Jie Wang,
Chenyang Chen,
Jianyang Sun,
Xixi Wu,
Man Liu,
Xian Zhang,
Shujuan Tian,
Li Yuan
Affiliations
Qin Feng
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Ling Xiao
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Jiafa Wang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Jie Wang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Chenyang Chen
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Jianyang Sun
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Xixi Wu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Man Liu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Xian Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
Shujuan Tian
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; Shenzhen Research Institute, Northwest A&F University, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong, China; Corresponding authors.
Li Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; Shenzhen Research Institute, Northwest A&F University, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong, China; Corresponding authors.
The nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) gene family is a class of transcription factors that are widely distributed in eukaryotes and are involved in various biological processes. However, the NF-Y gene family members in watermelon, a valued and nutritious fruit, remain largely unknown and their functions have not been characterized. In the present study, 22 ClNF-Y genes in watermelon, 29 CsNF-Y genes in cucumber, and 24 CmNF-Y genes in melon were identified based on the whole-genome investigation and their protein properties, gene location, gene structure, motif composition, conserved domain, and evolutionary relationship were investigated. ClNF-YB9 from watermelon and its homologs in cucumber and melon were expressed specifically in seeds. Its expression remained low in the early stages of watermelon seed development, increased at 20 days after pollination (DAP), and peaked at 45–50 DAP. Moreover, the knockout mutant Clnf-yb9 exhibited abnormal leafy cotyledon phenotype, implying its critical role during seed formation. Finally, protein interaction assays showed that ClNF-YB9 interacts with all ClNF-YCs and the ClNF-YB9-YC4 heterodimer was able to recruit a ClNF-YA7 subunit to assemble a complete NF-Y complex, which may function in seed development. This study revealed the structure and evolutionary relationships of the NF-Y gene family in Cucurbitaceae and the novel function of ClNF-YB9 in regulating seed development in watermelon.
