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Genetic relationships and evolution in Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin, squash, gourd) as revealed by simple sequence repeat
Li Gong1, Harry S Paris, Michael H Nee
1Department for Agrobiotechnology, Institute for Biotechnology in Plant Production, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Strasse 20, Tulln, Austria.
Genetic analysis of Cucurbita pepo revealed three main subspecies clusters: pepo, texana, and fraterna. Some accessions suggest relic wild ancestors, with distinct cultivar groups and specialized uses driving genetic divergence.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Crop domestication
- Molecular markers
Background:
- Understanding genetic diversity is crucial for crop improvement.
- Cucurbita pepo exhibits significant variation in fruit traits and subspecies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess genetic relationships among Cucurbita pepo accessions.
- To investigate the genetic basis of subspecies differentiation and cultivar development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 134 SSR (microsatellite) and 4 SCAR loci for polymorphism analysis.
- Calculated genetic distances, constructed dendrograms, and performed principal coordinate analyses.
Main Results:
- Identified three main genetic clusters corresponding to subspecies pepo, texana, and fraterna.
- Discovered four accessions potentially representing wild ancestors.
- Observed clustering by cultivar-group (fruit shape) and specialization within subspecies.
Conclusions:
- Genetic structure reflects subspecies differentiation and domestication history.
- Fruit shape and specialized uses are key drivers of genetic divergence in Cucurbita pepo.
- No evidence of post-domestication inter-subspecies crossing was found.
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Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
