2025/07/02 by Tongxu Xin, Zheng Zhang, Yueying Zhang +15 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy #Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics #Plant Virus Research Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.007
openalex publication_date 2025/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Synonymous mutations, once known as "silent" mutations, are increasingly attracting the interest of biologists. Although they may affect transcriptional or post-transcriptional processes, their impact on biological traits remains under-investigated, particularly at the organismal level. Here, we identified two closely linked, epistatically interacting genes: YTH1 , an RNA N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) reader, and ACS2 , an aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase, which contribute to cucumber fruit length domestication. The causative mutation in ACS2 is a synonymous substitution at 1287C>T. In wild cucumber, ACS2 1287C results in m 6 A modification on nearby adenosine residues and the formation of loose RNA structural conformations. YTH1 recognizes the m 6 A modification, alters the folding equilibrium toward the weakest RNA structural conformation, and increases the ACS2 protein level, resulting in shorter fruit. In cultivated cucumber, ACS2 1287T disrupts m 6 A methylation and forms compact RNA structural conformations, leading to attenuated protein production and fruit elongation. This study provides genetic evidence of synonymous variation shaping a biological trait through epitranscriptomic regulations.