Gene

Biology

Pepper

Genetics

Candidate gene

Horticulture

Pungency

Theoretical and Applied Genetics

Identification of a novel pungency-controlling gene Pun3, which acts as a master regulator of capsaicinoid biosynthetic genes in Capsicum annuum. Capsaicinoid is a unique compound that gives hot peppers (Capsicum spp.) their spicy taste. The Pun1 and Pun2 loci are known to control pungency in Capsicum species. Whereas Pun1 encodes an acyltransferase, the identity of Pun2 is currently unknown. Here, we used recombinant inbred lines and F2 plants derived from a cross between the non-pungent C. annuum accession ‘YCM334’ and the pungent C. annuum cultivar ‘Tean’ to identify a novel non-pungency locus. Inheritance studies showed that non-pungency in C. annuum ‘YCM334’ is controlled by a single recessive gene, which we named Pun3. Using a high-density SNP map derived from genotyping-by-sequencing, Pun3 was mapped to chromosome 7. By comparing physical information about the Pun3 region in the C. annuum ‘Zunla-1’ and C. chinense ‘PI159236’ reference genomes, we identified candidate genes in this target region. One cD...

A MYB transcription factor is a candidate to control pungency in Capsicum annuum