Genetics and genomics of vegetable crops

Overview

Our research focuses on developing genetic and genomic tools for the characterization of important agronomic traits in melon and related vegetable crops. We develop our activities in the framework of public funded projects or in collaboration with private companies. We routinely apply a wide range of genetic, genomic, metabolomic, bioinformatic and phenotypic approaches to the main research lines of our group:

- Characterizing fruit ripening in melon and understanding the molecular basis of the non-climacteric ripening found in the inodorus melon genotypes. 

- Applying gene-editing technologies for the functional validation of candidate genes for melon traits. 

- Refining our reference melon genome sequence through the application of cutting edge sequencing technologies. 

- Analysing the extant variability in melon germplasm using re-sequencing approaches.

- Obtaining molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding of qualitative and quantitative traits in cucurbitaceae and solanaceae crops.

Selected Publications

Pereira L, Ruggieri V, Pérez S, Alexiou KG, Fernandez M, Jahrmann T, Pujol M, Garcia-Mas J 
QTL mapping of melon fruit traits using a high-density GBS-based genetic map. 
(2018) BMC Plant Biology 18:324

Morata J, Tormo M, Alexiou K, Vives C, Ramos-Onsins SE, Garcia-Mas J, Casacuberta JM 
The evolutionary consequences of transposon-related pericentromer expansion in melon. 
(2018) Genome Biology and Evolution, 10(6), 1584-1595

Ruggieri V, Alexiou KG, Morata J, Argyris J, Pujol M, Yano R, Nonaka S, Ezura H, Latrasse D, Boualem A, Benhamed M, Bendahmane A, Aiese Cigliano R, Sanseverino W, Puigdomènech P, Casacuberta JM, Garcia-Mas J 
An improved assembly and annotation of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) reference genome. 
(2018) Scientific Reports, 8(1), Art. number 8088

Lü P, Yu S, Zhu N, Chen Y-R, Zhou B, Pan Y, Tzeng D, Fabi JP, Argyris J, Garcia-Mas J, Ye N, Zhang J, Grierson D, Xiang J, Fei Z, Giovannoni J, Zhong S
Genome encode analyses reveal the basis of convergent evolution of fleshy fruit ripening. 
(2018) Nature Plants, 4(10), 784-791

Pereira L, Pujol M, Garcia-Mas J, Phillips MA
Non-invasive ethylene quantification in attached fruit headspace at 1 ppb by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. 
(2017) The Plant Journal 91:172-183

Ríos P,  Argyris J, Vegas J, Leida C, Kenigswald M, Tzuri G, Troadec C, Bendahmane A, Katzir N, Picó B, Monforte AJ, Garcia-Mas J 
ETHQV6.3 is involved in melon climacteric fruit ripening and is encoded by a NAC domain transcription factor. 
(2017) The Plant Journal 91: 671-683  

Giner A, Pascual L, Bourgeois M, Gyetvai G, Rios P, Picó B, Troadec C, Bendahmane A, Garcia-Mas J, Martín-Hernández AM 
A mutation in the melon Vacuolar Protein Sorting 41 prevents systemic infection of Cucumber mosaic virus. 
(2017) Scientific Reports, 7(1), Art. number 10471

Garcia-Mas J, Rodriguez-Concepcion M 
The carrot genome sequence brings colors out of the dark. 
(2016) Nature Genetics, 48(6), 589-590

Argyris JM, Ruiz-Herrera A, Madriz-Masis P, Sanseverino W, Morata J, Pujol M, Ramos-Onsins SE, Garcia-Mas J
Use of targeted SNP selection for an improved anchoring of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) scaffold genome assembly.
(2015) BMC Genomics, 16(1): 1196

Saladié S, Cañizares J, Phillips MA, Rodriguez-Concepcion M, Larrigaudière C, Gibon Y, Stitt M, Lunn JE, Garcia-Mas J 
Comparative transcriptional profiling analysis of developing melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit from climacteric and non-climacteric varieties. 
(2015) BMC Genomics 16:440

Vegas J, Garcia-Mas J, Monforte AJ 
Interaction between QTLs induces an advance in ethylene biosynthesis during melon fruit ripening. 
(2013) Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 126(6), 1531-1544

Garcia-Mas J, Benjak A, Sanseverino W, Bourgeois M, Mir G et al 
The genome of melon (Cucumis melo L.)
(2012) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109:11872-11877