Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40229686›Full record

ArticleBMC plant biology2025

Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the mechanisms underlying leaf variegation in 'Gonggan' mandarin.

Cong Shi, Miaofeng Gu, Yongjing Huang, Congjun You, Sihan Bao, Shuangling Xie, Jinli Gong, Guiming Deng, Pingzhi Wu, Wen Wu and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC plant biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Colored Leaves ofACS omega · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Physiological Response ofLife (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Cong Shi *Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Miaofeng Gu *Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Yongjing Huang *Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
Congjun YouKey Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Sihan BaoKey Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Shuangling XieKey Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Jinli GongKey Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China.
Guiming DengInstitute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
Pingzhi WuInstitute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
Wen WuInstitute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
Congyi ZhuInstitute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China. zhucongyi@gdaas.cn.
Xuepeng SunKey Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311300, China. xs57@zafu.edu.cn.
Jiwu ZengInstitute of Fruit Tree Research, Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Science and Technology Research on Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China. zengjiwu@gdaas.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe 'Gonggan' mandarin, an elite local cultivar from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, combines the qualities of mandarin and sweet orange. A leaf-variegated mutant enhances its ornamental and economic value, providing an excellent model for studying chloroplast development and photosynthetic pigment metabolism in citrus.

resultsWe found that, in this variegated mutant, chloroplasts are severely deficient or absent in mesophyll cells. Physiological assessments revealed lower levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and stomatal conductance (Gs), alongside significantly higher non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN), reflecting increased photoprotective energy dissipation. To uncover the molecular basis of leaf variegation, high-quality genome assemblies and transcriptomes were generated for both the normal and variegated 'Gonggan' mandarin, enabling comparative multi-omics analysis. Key genes involved in chloroplast development, such as TOC159, PDV2, THA8, and SIG5, were downregulated in the variegated leaves. Similarly, structural genes linked to chlorophyll degradation, including CLH2, SGR, NOL, and NYC1, exhibited altered expression. Downregulation of transcription factors GLK, GNC, and GNC-LIKE (GNL), known regulators of chloroplast development and chlorophyll biosynthesis, was also observed.

conclusionsThese findings suggest that disrupted expression of critical genes impacts chloroplast development and pigment metabolism, causing the leaf variegation phenotype. Overall, this study lays a foundation for functional genomics research and potential germplasm improvement of 'Gonggan' mandarin, and provides new insights into the mechanisms driving color variation in citrus.

Indexed as

CitrusPlant LeavesTranscriptomeChlorophyllChloroplastsGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, PlantGenomicsPhotosynthesisChlorophyllChloroplast developmentCitrusGene co-expression networkGenome assemblyleaf variegationPlant genomeTranscriptome

Identifiers

PMID40229686
PMCPMC11998453

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.