Function identification of the mitogen-activated protein kinase gene <i>CsMPK4</i> in cucumber.

Guanghao JI; Qianli LU; Yue YU; Hebing WANG; Qinglin TANG

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Function identification of the mitogen-activated protein kinase gene CsMPK4 in cucumber.

Author: Guanghao JI ¹ ; Qianli LU ² ; Yue YU ² ; Hebing WANG ¹ ; Qinglin TANG ²
Author Information

1. Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chongqing 401329, China.
2. College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: CsMPK4; cucumber; high temperature; interaction
MeSH: Cucumis sativus/metabolism*; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/physiology*; Plant Proteins/metabolism*; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism*; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Stress, Physiological/genetics*; Cloning, Molecular
From: Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(2):857-868
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in the world. High temperature and other stress conditions can affect the growth and development of this plant, even leading to the decreases in yield and quality. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family plays a crucial role in plant stress responses. However, the role of MPK4 in the stress response of cucumber remains to be reported. In this study, we cloned CsMPK4, which encoded 383 amino acid residues. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of CsMPK4 was the highest in leaves and flowers, moderate in roots, and the lowest in stems and tendrils. CsMPK4 was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and it had a close relationship with CmMPK4 in muskmelon. The cucumber plants overexpressing CsMPK4 became stronger and shorter, with reduced length and quantity of tendrils. Moreover, the transgenic seedlings were more resistant to high temperatures, with decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in young leaves. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction between CsMPK4 and CsVQ10, a member of the valine-glutamine family, was confirmed by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. The results suggested that CsVQ10 cooperated with CsMPK4 in response to the high temperature stress in cucumber. This study laid a foundation for the further study on the stress response mechanism of CsMPK4 and the breeding of stress-resistant cucumber varieties.