Variation in the promoter of the sorbitol dehydrogenase gene MdSDH2 affects binding of the transcription factor MdABI3 and alters fructose content in apple fruit

Zhengyang Wang, Baiquan Ma, Nanxiang Yang, Ling Jin, Lan Wang, Songya Ma, Yong Ling Ruan, Fengwang Ma*, Mingjun Li*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fructose (Fru) content is a key determinant of fruit sweetness and quality. An F1 hybrid population of the apple cultivars ‘Honeycrisp’ × ‘Qinguan’ was used to investigate the quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions and genes controlling Fru content in fruit. A stable QTL on linkage group (LG) 01 in ‘Honeycrisp’ was detected on the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genetic linkage maps. In this region, a sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) gene, MdSDH2, was detected and showed promoter variations and differential expression patterns between ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Qinguan’ fruits as well as their hybrids. A SNP variant (A/G) in the MdSDH2 promoter region (SDH2p-491) affected the binding ability of the transcription factor MdABI3, which can affect the expression of MdSDH2. Promoter sequences with an A nucleotide at SDH2p-491 had stronger binding affinity for MdABI3 than those with a G. Among 27 domesticated apple cultivars and wild relatives, this SNP (A/G) was associated with Fru content. Our results indicate that MdSDH2 can alter Fru content as the major regulatory gene and that ABA signaling might be involved in Fru content accumulation in apple fruit.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1183-1198
Number of pages16
JournalPlant Journal
Volume109
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2022
Externally publishedYes

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