Melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i>) is an important diploid crop with a wide variety of flavors due to its distinct aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOC). To understand the development of VOC profiles during fruit development, we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of melon samples of two cantaloupe varieties over the course of fruit development. We also expand our analysis by collecting samples from different varieties and various growth locations. RNA-seq analysis were performed in 2 rounds focusing on different aspect of molecular signatures of melon fruit transcriptome. The first round unexpectedly identified frequent asymptomatic infection of tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) which is seemingly widespread throughout the US. The second round of RNA-seq implemented virus removal procedure to improve the data quality. The 2nd-round samples mainly include time course samples and geographic samples from 7 growth locations using 2 promising varieties.<br/>For time course datasets, we collected total of 130 metabolite data and 449014207 RNA-seq reads mapped to the melon genome. A total of 4469 differentially expressed genes in fruits were identified and used to visualize the transition of VOC and transcriptomic profiles during the fruit development. A shift of VOC profiles in both varieties was observed from early-fruit profiles enriched in C5-C8 lipid-derived VOCs to late fruit profiles abundant in C9 lipid-derived VOCs, apocarotenoids, and esters. The shift coincided with the expression of specific isoforms of lipid and carotenoid metabolizing enzymes as well as transcription factors involved in fruit ripening, metabolite regulation, and hormone signaling. This information is being applied to analyze more complex geographic datasets.

Transcriptome and metabolome changes in melon fruits

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.