Abstract
Citrus species are among the most important fruit tree crops grown worldwide. Their long juvenile period joined with their complex genetic and reproductive characteristics severely hampers genomic studies and the improvement of traits of interest. Among these, seedlessness represents a major fruit quality trait. Genetic engineering is the fastest way to unequivocally characterize the function of citrus genes and to develop better varieties. In this study, two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan., CcGLT1 and CcRBP1 , that putatively encode a glycosyltransferase-like (GLT) protein and an RNA binding (RBP) family protein, respectively, were characterized as highly expressed in male and female reproductive tissues and then evaluated as candidate genes involved in male and/or female gametic development by silencing them using RNA interference (RNAi) in Carrizo citrange, used as model citrus type easy to transform. Concurrently, the early flowering and fruiting phenotype was induced by ectopic overexpression of the citrus ortholog of the floral integrator FLOWERING LOCUS T gene ( FT ) which enabled flower and fruit production less than six months after transformation. Histological observations of flower tissues from genetically modified plants showed that silencing CcGLT1 affects pollen performance by reducing pollen germinability and viability which results in an increased rate of ovule abortion resulting in fewer seeds in self-pollinated fruits. Conversely, the silencing of CcRBP1 led to severe alterations in plant growth and development in the transgenic RBP lines preventing the characterization of its role in fertility, which therefore remains unresolved. These results provide useful insights into male and female sterility in citrus for the genetic improvement of commercial varieties aimed to obtain seedless fruits.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
CcGLT1 and CcRBP1 were highly expressed in reproductive tissues.
- Taxon
- Citrus clementina
Citrus ×clementinae1 - Organ / stage
- male and female reproductive tissuese0
- Gene
- CcGLT1 and CcRBP1e0
- Outcome
- highly expressede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CcGLT1 and CcRBP1 , that putatively encode a glycosyltransferase-like (GLT) protein and an RNA binding (RBP) family protein, respectively, were characterized as highly expressed in male and female reproductive tissues”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
Claim · model-written summary
FT overexpression produced flowering and fruiting less than six months after transformation.
- Treatment
- ectopic overexpressione0
- Gene
- FLOWERING LOCUS Te0
- Outcome
- flower and fruit productione0
- Direction
- earlye0
- Value
- less than six monthse0
CitrusNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“early flowering and fruiting phenotype was induced by ectopic overexpression of the citrus ortholog of the floral integrator FLOWERING LOCUS T gene ( FT ) which enabled flower and fruit production less than six months after transformation”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
Claim · model-written summary
CcGLT1 silencing reduced pollen germinability and viability.
- Treatment
- silencing CcGLT1e0
- Gene
- CcGLT1e0
- Outcome
- pollen germinability and viabilitye0
- Direction
- reducinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“silencing CcGLT1 affects pollen performance by reducing pollen germinability and viability”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
Claim · model-written summary
CcGLT1 silencing increased ovule abortion.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“silencing CcGLT1 affects pollen performance by reducing pollen germinability and viability which results in an increased rate of ovule abortion”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
Claim · model-written summary
CcGLT1 silencing yielded fewer seeds in self-pollinated fruit.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“silencing CcGLT1 affects pollen performance by reducing pollen germinability and viability which results in an increased rate of ovule abortion resulting in fewer seeds in self-pollinated fruits”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
Claim · model-written summary
CcRBP1 silencing severely altered growth and development.
- Material
- transgenic RBP linese0
- Treatment
- silencing of CcRBP1e0
- Gene
- CcRBP1e0
- Outcome
- plant growth and developmente0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“silencing of CcRBP1 led to severe alterations in plant growth and development in the transgenic RBP lines”
t0“citrus”
e1“two genes from Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.”
The same questions in other papers
loss of function · growth · CitrusPositive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- negative
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.