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Special Issue "Molecular Research of Tropical Fruit"

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2023 | Viewed by 2061

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yonghua Qin

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Guest Editor

College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: fruit cultivar selection; fruit molecular biology

Prof. Dr. Guibing Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: tropical fruit; cultivar breeding; cultivation; physiology and biotechnology; microRNAs; transcriptomics; genomics; proteomics; metabolomics; genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tropical fruits are grown in hot and humid regions surrounding the Equator, as far north as the Tropic of Cancer and as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn. It is estimated that there are more than 300 tropical fruit crops that produce edible fruits, such as banana, pineapple, lychee, longan, mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, papaya, rambutan, acai, jackfruit, mangosteen, avocado, guava, durian, cherimoya, cashew, macadamia nut, etc. Many developing countries are dependent on tropical fruits for their export and income, as well as their high nutritional value. Tropical fruit planting and production are growing globally. Tropical fruits are perishable crops and typically very sensitive to environmental, biotic, and abiotic stresses. Therefore, more pomologists are focusing on molecular research to learn how growth and development work and how to sustain the growth of tropical fruit crops in a sustainable way.

An upcoming Special Issue titled "Molecular Research of Tropical Fruit" will focus on the molecular mechanisms of tropical fruit production, growth and development, postharvest, genetics, and breeding, in an effort to address the primary issues faced by tropical fruit-producing countries. The main themes focus on the molecular research of tropical fruit crops on alternate bearing, flowering, fruit set, pruning, thinning, fertilization/irrigation/water relations, biostimulants and plant growth regulators, environment, postharvest, biotechnology and physiology, genetic resources, and breeding, etc. Topics include, but are not limited to, gene discovery and function, population genetics, genome projects, comparative and functional genomics, the molecular analysis of simple and complex genetic traits, developmental genetics, regulatory variation in gene expression, evolution, gene expression, and chromosome biology.

We invite agriculturists to contribute both reviews and original research articles to this Special Issue and to share your achievements in the field of the molecular research of tropical fruits.

Prof. Dr. Yonghua Qin
Prof. Dr. Guibing Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

tropical fruits
molecular research (microRNAs, genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics)
cultivation
flowering
growth and development
fruit set and development
postharvest
biotechnology and physiology
genetics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Open AccessArticle

EjFAD8 Enhances the Low-Temperature Tolerance of Loquat by Desaturation of Sulfoquinovosyl Diacylglycerol (SQDG)

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 6946; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24086946 - 08 Apr 2023

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Abstract

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) is an evergreen fruit tree of Chinese origin, and its autumn–winter flowering and fruiting growth habit means that its fruit development is susceptible to low-temperature stress. In a previous study, the triploid loquat (B431 × GZ23) has been identified with high photosynthetic efficiency and strong resistance under low-temperature stress. Analysis of transcriptomic and lipidomic data revealed that the fatty acid desaturase gene EjFAD8 was closely associated with low temperatures. Phenotypic observations and measurements of physiological indicators in Arabidopsis showed that overexpressing-EjFAD8 transgenic plants were significantly more tolerant to low temperatures compared to the wild-type. Heterologous overexpression of EjFAD8 enhanced some lipid metabolism genes in Arabidopsis, and the unsaturation of lipids was increased, especially for SQDG (16:0/18:1; 16:0/18:3), thereby improving the cold tolerance of transgenic lines. The expression of ICE-CBF-COR genes were further analyzed so that the relationship between fatty acid desaturase and the ICE-CBF-COR pathway can be clarified. These results revealed the important role of EjFAD8 under low-temperature stress in triploid loquat, the increase expression of FAD8 in loquat under low temperatures lead to desaturation of fatty acids. On the one hand, overexpression of EjFAD8 in Arabidopsis increased the expression of ICE-CBF-COR genes in response to low temperatures. On the other hand, upregulation of EjFAD8 at low temperatures increased fatty acid desaturation of SQDG to maintain the stability of photosynthesis under low temperatures. This study not only indicates that the EjFAD8 gene plays an important role in loquat under low temperatures, but also provides a theoretical basis for future molecular breeding of loquat for cold resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research of Tropical Fruit)

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Open AccessArticle

The Pitaya Flower Tissue’s Gene Differential Expression Analysis between Self-Incompatible and Self-Compatible Varieties for the Identification of Genes Involved in Self-Incompatibility Regulation

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411406 - 13 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Self-incompatible pitaya varieties have low fruit-setting rates under natural conditions, leading to higher production costs and hindering industrial prosperity. Through transcriptome sequencing, we obtained the 36,900 longest transcripts (including 9167 new transcripts) from 60 samples of flowers. Samples were collected pre- and post-pollination (at 0 h, 0.5 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 12 h) from two varieties of pitaya (self-compatible Jindu No. 1 and self-incompatible Cu Sha). Using the RNA-Seq data and comparison of reference genomes, we annotated 28,817 genes in various databases, and 1740 genes were optimized in their structure for annotation. There were significant differences in the expression of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the pitaya stigmas under different pollination types, especially at the late post-pollination stage, where the expression of protease genes increasedal significantly under cross-pollination. We identified DEGs involved in the ribosomal, ubiquitination-mediated, and phyto-signaling pathways that may be involved in pitaya SI regulation. Based on the available transcriptome data and bioinformatics analysis, we tentatively identified HuS-RNase2 as a candidate gynogenetic S gene in the pitaya GSI system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research of Tropical Fruit)

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Open AccessReview

Pitaya Nutrition, Biology, and Biotechnology: A Review

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13986; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813986 - 12 Sep 2023

Viewed by 273

Abstract

Pitaya (Hylocereus spp.) is a member of the cactus family that is native to Central and South America but is now cultivated throughout the sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world. It is of great importance due to its nutritional, ornamental, coloring, medicinal, industrial, and high consumption values. In order to effectively utilize and develop the available genetic resources, it is necessary to appreciate and understand studies pertaining to the usage, origin, nutrition, diversity, evaluation, characterization, conservation, taxonomy, and systematics of the genus Hylocereus. Additionally, to gain a basic understanding of the biology of the plant, this review has also discussed how biotechnological tools, such as cell and tissue culture, micropropagation (i.e., somatic embryogenesis, organogenesis, somaclonal variation, mutagenesis, androgenesis, gynogenesis, and altered ploidy), virus-induced gene silencing, and molecular marker technology, have been used to enhance pitaya germplasm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research of Tropical Fruit)

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