Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
In this paper we show that metabolic engineering in Cucurbita pepo hairy roots can be used to both effectively increase and modify cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins are highly-oxygenated triterpenoids originally described in the Cucurbitaceae family, but have since been found in 15 taxonomically distant plant families. Cucurbitacin B, D, E and I are the...
Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
Climate warming may affect the performance of plants directly through altering vegetative or reproductive traits, and indirectly through modifying interactions with their pollinators. On the other hand, the addition of fertilizers to the soil may increase the quantity and quality of floral rewards, favoring the visitation of pollinators and, conseq...
Published in Chemosphere
The Cucurbitaceae family accumulates dioxin-like compounds in its fruits. We previously showed that A20/AN1 zinc finger protein (ZFP) genes were highly expressed in the zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) subspecies pepo, which accumulates dioxin-like compounds at high concentrations. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants overexpressing A20/AN1 ZFP g...
Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
The hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seed does not require de-hulling before use for human consumption, as a result highly preferred by the oil, nut, and baking industries. In hull-less seeds, a single recessive gene is responsible for the absence of outer thick seed coat layers; however, the genomic region and gene(s) controlling the trait are u...
Published in Molecular biology reports
Zucchini plants (Cucurbita pepo) accumulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at high concentrations in their aerial parts, and major latex-like proteins (MLPs) play crucial roles in their accumulation. MLPs bind to POPs in root cells, MLP-POP complexes are then translocated into xylem vessels, and POPs are transported to the aerial parts. We pr...
Published in Frontiers in Genetics
Cucurbita pepo L. is an essential economic vegetable crop worldwide, and its production is severely affected by powdery mildew (PM). However, our understanding of the molecular mechanism of PM resistance in C. pepo is very limited. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in regulating plant responses to biotic stress. Here, we systema...
Published in BMC genomics
Cucurbita pepo is highly susceptible to Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) and the resistance found in several wild species cannot be considered as complete or broad-spectrum resistance. In this study, a source of tolerance introgressed in C. pepo (381e) from C. moschata, in True French (TF) background, was investigated 12 days post-inoculation (D...
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seeds are nutritious and valued as a source of vegetable oil, protein, healthy fatty acids, and minerals. Pumpkin seeds that are naturally devoid of the seedcoat (hull-less) are preferred by the industry as they eliminate the need for de-hulling prior to use. A single recessive gene, designated as n or h, controls the hull-...
Published in Molecular biology reports
Germplasm identification is an essential connection linking the conservation and exploitation of crop genetic resources in several plant breeding programs. This study highlights the biochemical and molecular variations in a collection of pumpkin genotypes representing four climate zones. The information could help improve germplasm management and s...
Published in Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants
Salinity is a major threat to crop production and global food security. Algae and their extracts containing bioactive compounds can enhance the salt tolerance of plants, including the salt-sensitive plants. The current study evaluated the efficacy of Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teodoresco culture and/or its β-carotene extract in improving the salt to...
