title: Cucumis sativus L. WAX2 Plays a Pivotal Role in Wax Biosynthesis, Influencing Pollen Fertility and Plant Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses.
abstract: Cuticular waxes play an important part in protecting plant aerial organs from biotic and abiotic stresses. In previous studies, the biosynthetic pathway of cuticular waxes and relative functional genes has been researched and understood; however, little is known in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). In this study, we cloned and characterized an AtWAX2 homolog, CsWAX2, in cucumber and found that it is highly expressed in the epidermis, where waxes are synthesized, while subcellular localization showed that CsWAX2 protein is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The transcriptional expression of CsWAX2 was found to be induced by low temperature, drought, salt stress and ABA, while the ectopic expression of CsWAX2 in an Arabidopsis wax2 mutant could partially complement the glossy stem phenotype. Abnormal expression of CsWAX2 in transgenic cucumbers specifically affected both very long chain (VLC) alkanes and cutin biosynthesis. Furthermore, transgenic cucumber plants of CsWAX2 showed significant changes in pollen viability and fruit resistance to water loss and pathogens compared with the wild type. Collectively, these results indicated that CsWAX2 plays a pivotal role in wax biosynthesis, influencing pollen fertility and the plant's response to biotic and abiotic stresses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Wenjiao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Xingwang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Xinshuang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gai
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Jiaojiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agronomy and Bio-technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China Department of Vegetable Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 PR China renhuazhong@cau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huazhong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018553:Cucumis sativus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D055864:Droughts; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011058:Pollen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013696:Temperature; D014885:Waxes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019755:Carbon-Carbon Lyases
chemical_list: D000040:Abscisic Acid; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D014885:Waxes; C103487:At5g57800 protein, Arabidopsis; D019755:Carbon-Carbon Lyases
keywords: Abiotic stresses; Alkane; CsWAX2; Cucumber; Pollen fertility; Wax biosynthesis