Transcriptome Sequencing And Screening Of Genes Related To Sex Determination Oftrichosanthes Kirilowiimaxim

Trichosanthes kirilowiiMaxim. (TK) is a dioecious plant in the Cucurbitaceae for which different sexes have separate medicinal uses. In order to study the genes related to sex determination, transcriptome sequencing was performed on flower buds of male and female plants using the high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 145,975 unigenes and 7110 DEGs were obtained. There were 6776 DEGs annotated to 1234 GO terms and enriched to 18 functional groups, including five biological processes related to sugar metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis indicated genes involved in hormone transduction, hormone synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Many DEGs ofTKare involved in reproductive organ formation, hormone signal transduction and regulatory networks. Combining the results of GO, KEGG and qRT-PCR, 11 sex determining candidate genes ofTKwere selected, includingMYB80,MYB108,CER1,CBL9,ABCB19,SERK1,HSP81-3,ACS9,SEP3,AUX1andYUC6. The results provide a foundation for the study of sex differentiation inTK.