CmBt and CmBr synergistically regulate cucurbitacin B biosynthesis in melon

Cucurbitacin B (CuB) is the primary compound responsible for bitterness in melon (Cucumis melo L.) and negatively affects fruit quality and consumer acceptance. Although CuB biosynthesis is regulated by multiple transcription factors, the regulatory mechanisms underlying CuB biosynthesis across different tissues remain unclear. Here, we generated 2 independent knockout lines (Cmbt-18 and Cmbt-19) of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor gene CmBt (Bitter fruit) using CRISPR-Cas9. Loss of CmBt reduces CuB levels in fruits and roots and produces non-bitter leaves, indicating that CmBt predominantly regulates CuB accumulation in leaves. By contrast, its paralog CmBr (Bitter root) predominantly controls CuB accumulation in fruits and roots. These results redefine CmBt as a leaf-predominant regulator and CmBr as a fruit/root-predominant regulator of CuB biosynthesis, revising previous findings. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CmBt physically interacts with CmBr. The CmbtCmbr double mutants exhibit a more severe reduction in CuB content in fruits, leaves, and roots compared with either single mutant, confirming a synergistic interaction between CmBt and CmBr. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR and tobacco dual-luciferase assays further show that CmBt and CmBr synergistically activate the CuB biosynthetic gene CmBi. Additionally, the CmbtCmbr double mutant completely prevents CPPU-induced fruit bitterness. Our findings reveal that CmBt and CmBr exert tissue-specific, partially redundant, and synergistic roles in activating CmBi and promoting CuB biosynthesis. These results identify the CmBt-CmBr locus as a promising target for breeding non-bitter melon cultivars.