title: Comparative transcriptome analysis of two contrasting watermelon genotypes during fruit development and ripening.
abstract: Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] is an economically important crop with an attractive ripe fruit that has colorful flesh. Fruit ripening is a complex, genetically programmed process.
  
  
  
  In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis was performed to identify the regulators and pathways that are involved in the fruit ripening of pale-yellow-flesh cultivated watermelon (COS) and red-flesh cultivated watermelon (LSW177). We first identified 797 novel genes to extend the available reference gene set. Second, 3958 genes in COS and 3503 genes in LSW177 showed at least two-fold variation in expression, and a large number of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during fruit ripening were related to carotenoid biosynthesis, plant hormone pathways, and sugar and cell wall metabolism. Third, we noted a correlation between ripening-associated transcripts and metabolites and the key function of these metabolic pathways during fruit ripening.
  
  
  
  The results revealed several ripening-associated actions and provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of watermelon fruit ripening.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
authors.forename: Qianglong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
authors.forename: Zicheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China.
authors.forename: Sikandar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amanullah
authors.affiliation: South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Currently with HM. Clause 9241 Mace Blvd, Davis, CA, 95618, USA.
authors.forename: Angela R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticulture Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China. luanfeishi@neau.edu.cn.|Horticulture College, Northeast Agricultural University, 59 Mucai Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150030, China. luanfeishi@neau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Feishi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luan
mesh_terms: D029773:Citrullus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D063990:Gene Ontology; D005838:Genotype; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction; D059467:Transcriptome
keywords: Citrullus lanatus; Fruit ripening; Gene expression; Transcription factors; Watermelon