VaAPRT3 Gene is Associated With Sex Determination in Vitis amurensis

Yan Men; Ji-Rui Li; Hai-Lin Shen; Yi-Ming Yang; Shu-Tian Fan; Kun Li; Yin-Shan Guo; Hong Lin; Zhen-Dong Liu; Xiu-Wu Guo

doi:10.3389/fgene.2021.727260

VaAPRT3 Gene is Associated With Sex Determination in Vitis amurensis

Front Genet. 2021 Dec 23:12:727260. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.727260. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Yan Men¹, Ji-Rui Li¹, Hai-Lin Shen², Yi-Ming Yang³, Shu-Tian Fan³, Kun Li¹, Yin-Shan Guo¹, Hong Lin¹, Zhen-Dong Liu¹, Xiu-Wu Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.
² Institute of Pomology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Science, Gongzhuling, China.
³ Institute of Special Wild Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China.

Abstract

In the past decade, progress has been made in sex determination mechanism in Vitis. However, genes responsible for sexual differentiation and its mechanism in V. amurensis remain unknown. Here, we identify a sex determination candidate gene coding adenine phosphoribosyl transferase 3 (VaAPRT3) in V. amurensis. Cloning and sequencing of the VaAPRT3 gene allowed us to develop a molecular marker able to discriminate female individuals from males or hermaphrodites based on a 22-bp InDel. Gene expression and endogenous cytokinin content analysis revealed that the VaAPRT3 gene is involved in sex determination or, to be precise, in female organ differentiation, through regulating cytokinin metabolism in V. amurensis. This study enlarged the understanding of sex determination mechanism in the genus Vitis, and the sex marker could be used as a helpful tool for sexual identification in breeding programs as well as in investigation and collection of V. amurensis germplasms.

Keywords: VaAPRT3; Vitis amurensis; cytokinin; marker; sex.