Aluminum Stress of Oriental Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.) Is Linked to the Dehydrin <i>CmDHN3</i>
Dehydrins (DHNs; late embryogenesis-abundant D11 family) are a class of hydrophilic proteins involved in plant abiotic stress response. However, there is less information regarding DHN gene function in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. Herein, 34 DHN gene family members were identified and characte...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/5/480 |
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| Summary: | Dehydrins (DHNs; late embryogenesis-abundant D11 family) are a class of hydrophilic proteins involved in plant abiotic stress response. However, there is less information regarding DHN gene function in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. Herein, 34 DHN gene family members were identified and characterized in <i>Cucumis sativus</i>, <i>Cucumis melo</i>, <i>Citrullus lanatus</i>, <i>Benincasa hispida</i>, <i>Lagenaria siceraria</i>, and <i>Cucurbita maxima</i>. The DHN genes in the six <i>cucurbit</i> crops exhibited greater collinearity within subfamilies than between different subfamilies. Responses to stress (including low-temperature, salt, cadmium, and aluminum stress) varied among the DHN members, with a significant alteration in the expression of the acidic SnKn-type DHN gene <i>CmDHN3</i> in response to aluminum stress. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that <i>CmDHN3</i> is expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed a remarkable decrease in <i>CmDHN3</i> expression, which markedly increased malondialdehyde content, relative conductivity, and proline content in the roots and leaves of plants under aluminum stress. Transcriptome analysis showed that the decreased <i>CmDHN3</i> expression reduced the expression of water channel protein-encoding genes. Interactions between CmDHN3 and CmAQP1 (MELO3C007188) and between CmDHN3 and CmAQP2 (MELO3C020774) were confirmed using yeast two-hybrid assays. These results clarify the pathway by which dehydrin genes are involved in the transcriptional-level response of melon to aluminum stress and provide a theoretical basis to comprehensively analyze the functions of this gene family in <i>cucurbit</i> crops. |
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| ISSN: | 2311-7524 |