<i>McAPRR2</i>: The Key Regulator of Domesticated Pericarp Color in Bitter Gourd
Shouwei Tian,
Jingjing Yang,
Yiqian Fu,
Xiaofei Zhang,
Jian Zhang,
Hong Zhao,
Qi Hu,
Pangyuan Liu,
Weiming He,
Xiangyang Han,
Changlong Wen
Affiliations
Shouwei Tian
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Jingjing Yang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Yiqian Fu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Xiaofei Zhang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Jian Zhang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Hong Zhao
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Qi Hu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Pangyuan Liu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Weiming He
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Xiangyang Han
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Changlong Wen
Beijing Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasms Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Pericarp color is a crucial commercial trait influencing consumer preferences for bitter gourds. However, until now, the gene responsible for this trait has remained unidentified. In this study, we identified a gene (McAPRR2) controlling pericarp color via a genome-wide association study (GWAS) utilizing the resequencing data of 106 bitter gourd accessions. McAPRR2 exhibits three primary haplotypes: Hap1 is a wild type with a green pericarp, Hap2 is a SA (South Asian) and SEA (Southeast Asia) type with a green pericarp, and Hap3 is primarily a SEA type with a light green pericarp. The McAPRR2 haplotype is significantly correlated with both pericarp color and ecological type. Importantly, McAPRR2 with the light green pericarp demonstrated premature termination due to a 15 bp sequence insertion. The phylogenetic tree clustered according to pericarp color and ecological type, using SNPs located in the McAPRR2 gene and its promoter. High πwild/SEA and πSA/SEA values indicate high nucleotide diversity between wild and SEA types and between SA and SEA types in the McAPRR2 gene. The haplotypes, phylogenetic tree, and nucleotide diversity of McAPRR2 suggest that McAPRR2 has undergone domestication selection. This study identifies McAPRR2 as the key gene determining pericarp color in bitter gourds and introduces a novel insight that McAPRR2 is subject to domestication selection.
