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. 2025 Mar 16;47(3):195.
doi: 10.3390/cimb47030195.

Genome-Wide Identification of β-Ketoacyl CoA Synthase Gene Family in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) and Its Expression Analysis in Autotoxicity, Saline-Alkali, and Microplastic Exposure Environments

Lizhen Zhang  1 , Mingcheng Wang  1 , Xianhuan Tang  1   2 , Xinyue Yang  1   2 , Zhizhong Zhang  1   3 , Jinghua Wu  1   3
Affiliations

Genome-Wide Identification of β-Ketoacyl CoA Synthase Gene Family in Melon (Cucumis melo L.) and Its Expression Analysis in Autotoxicity, Saline-Alkali, and Microplastic Exposure Environments

Lizhen Zhang et al. Curr Issues Mol Biol. .

Abstract

β-ketoacyl CoA synthase (KCS) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids. It affects plant stress resistance by regulating the chain length of fatty acid elongation products, the wax deposition in plant epidermis, and the formation of suberization layers. Through a comprehensive, genome-wide analysis, we identified members of the melon KCS (CmKCS) family and characterized their sequence features, phylogenetic relationships, and expression profiles under three abiotic stress conditions, employing bioinformatics tools and methods. Fifteen CmKCSs were identified in the melon genome and found to be unevenly distributed across eight chromosomes. The subcellular localization of most members is located on the cytoplasmic membrane and chloroplasts. The CmKCS family amplifies its members in a tandem repeat manner, which is more closely related to the cucumber KCS and has similar gene functions. Subfamilies I, IV, and VI exhibit variations in conserved domain sequences, which may indicate specific functional differentiation. The promoter region harbors various cis-acting elements related to plant hormones and abiotic stress responses. Among these, the most abundant are elements responsive to abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and anaerobic induction. CmKCS5, CmKCS6, CmKCS10, and CmKCS12 showed high expression in autotoxicity, saline-alkali stress, and microplastic exposure environments. These four CmKCSs may play important roles in melon development and stress response. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the CmKCS gene family, revealing its potential roles in melon's response to abiotic stresses and laying a foundation for further functional characterization of these genes in stress tolerance mechanisms.

Keywords: cucurbits; molecular phylogeny; stress response gene; very-long-chain fatty acids; β-ketoacyl CoA synthase gene.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chromosomal localization of KCSs in melon.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phylogenetic tree of KCSs in melon and other plants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phylogenetic relationships (A), motif composition (B), and gene structure (C) of KCSs in melon.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Collinearity analysis of KCSs in melon.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Collinearity analysis of KCSs of 7 species.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Phylogenetic relationships (A), the site (B), and number (C) of Cis-acting elements in melon KCSs promoter.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Differential expression of KCSs in melon under three abiotic stresses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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