Two nearly complete genomes reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the significant fruit quality differences caused by bud sport between yellow and white‐fleshed loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.)
6 affiliations
- 1Institute of Horticulture Research Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Chengdu 610066 China
- 2Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Germplasm Enhancement in Southwest, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Chengdu 610066 China
- 3Key Laboratory of Bio‐Resource and Eco‐Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences Sichuan University Chengdu 610065 China
- 4National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Rubber Research Institute Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences Haikou 571101 China
- 5College of Horticulture Sichuan Agricultural University Chengdu 611134 China
- 6Institute of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Chengdu 610066 China
Abstract
SUMMARY: Bud sport is a common and stable somatic variation in perennial fruit trees. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) is an evergreen fruit tree that can be categorized into yellow‐fleshed and white‐fleshed types based on the flesh color. To uncover the genetic basis, we herein assembled two nearly complete genomes for a yellow‐fleshed ‘Dongting’ loquat (TBY) and its white‐fleshed bud sport (TBW). The final sizes of assemblies were 773.29 Mb and 728.86 Mb with contig N50 of 31.87 Mb and 28.63 Mb for TBY and TBW, respectively. Comparative genomics analysis indicated that the heterozygosity ratio of TBY was nearly two‐fold higher than that of TBW (0.53% vs. 0.27%). Integrated multi‐omics and molecular marker detection results revealed that homozygosity of the EjPSY2A
d /EjPSY2A
d allele is the cause of the change in flesh color from yellow to white in TBY. Additionally, EjSUSs (−1, −2, −3, −12) and EjSPS3 might be the key genes responsible for the significant accumulation of hexoses and sucrose, respectively, in the flesh of TBY and TBW. Furthermore, high expression of EjC4H8 and Ej4CLs (−7, −10, −20) in TBY might lead to the accumulation of more lignin in its flesh. Taken together, these findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism differences between yellow‐ and white‐fleshed loquat and highlight the significance of bud sport as a valuable approach for generating novel germplasm resources in fruit trees.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026nearly,
title = {{Two nearly complete genomes reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the significant fruit quality differences caused by bud sport between yellow and white‐fleshed loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.)}},
author = {Ke Zhao and Jinquan Chao and Yangang Pei and Tao Lang and Guoliang Jiang and Shuxia Sun and Hongjiang Xie and Jing Li and Meiyan Tu and Dong Chen and Mingchun Liu and Ronggao Gong and Haiyan Song},
journal = {The Plant Journal},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/tpj.71212},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.71212},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Two nearly complete genomes reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the significant fruit quality differences caused by bud sport between yellow and white‐fleshed loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.)
AU - Ke Zhao
AU - Jinquan Chao
AU - Yangang Pei
AU - Tao Lang
AU - Guoliang Jiang
AU - Shuxia Sun
AU - Hongjiang Xie
AU - Jing Li
AU - Meiyan Tu
AU - Dong Chen
AU - Mingchun Liu
AU - Ronggao Gong
AU - Haiyan Song
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - The Plant Journal
DO - 10.1111/tpj.71212
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.71212
AB - SUMMARY: Bud sport is a common and stable somatic variation in perennial fruit trees. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) is an evergreen fruit tree that can be categorized into yellow‐fleshed and white‐fleshed types based on the flesh color. To uncover the genetic basis, we herein assembled two nearly complete genomes for a yellow‐fleshed ‘Dongting’ loquat (TBY) and its white‐fleshed bud sport (TBW). The final sizes of assemblies were 773.29 Mb and 728.86 Mb with contig N50 of 31.87 Mb and 28.63 Mb for TBY and TBW, respectively. Comparative genomics analysis indicated that the heterozygosity ratio of TBY was nearly two‐fold higher than that of TBW (0.53% vs. 0.27%). Integrated multi‐omics and molecular marker detection results revealed that homozygosity of the EjPSY2A d /EjPSY2A d allele is the cause of the change in flesh color from yellow to white in TBY. Additionally, EjSUSs (−1, −2, −3, −12) and EjSPS3 might be the key genes responsible for the significant accumulation of hexoses and sucrose, respectively, in the flesh of TBY and TBW. Furthermore, high expression of EjC4H8 and Ej4CLs (−7, −10, −20) in TBY might lead to the accumulation of more lignin in its flesh. Taken together, these findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism differences between yellow‐ and white‐fleshed loquat and highlight the significance of bud sport as a valuable approach for generating novel germplasm resources in fruit trees.
SN - 0960-7412
SN - 1365-313X
ER -