Authors
Zhimin Ma, Meng Zhang, Gezi Tian, Wenle Li, Yongqi Zhang, Xia Liang, Shenglan Gao, Xiaodan Zhao, Caicun Zhu, Yuting Guo, Chunying Kang, Hongli Lian, Pengbo Xu, Jialin Yu, Teng Liu, Wei Xiao, Ling Li, Zhongchi Liu, Xue Han, Junhui Zhou
Published in
Nature communications. Volume 17. Issue 1. Sep 23, 2026. Epub Sep 23, 2026.
Abstract
Fertilization-triggered fruit set and morphogenesis constitute a complex developmental program involving diverse cell populations within fruit tissues. However, the cellular heterogeneity of this process has long obscured the precise contributions of distinct cell types. Here, by using woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) as a model, we integrated spatial transcriptomics, single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), and spatial metabolomics to construct a comprehensive and high-resolution single-cell atlas of strawberry fruit, spanning post-fertilization, fruit set, and fruit enlargement stages. Pseudotime trajectories of the three main cell types revealed substantial developmental state transitions, with specific expression patterns observed for auxin signaling components. Integration of spatial metabolomics and the ProDR5::RUBY stable reporter line reveals an auxin distribution asymmetry that shapes fruit morphogenesis. This distribution asymmetry is jointly correlated with auxin transport components FvePIN1 and FvePIN5, with distinct temporal specificity in the receptacle. In response to auxin, FveARF6 acts as a key positive regulator of fruit development, as demonstrated by stable transgenic lines: FveARF6-RNAi, FveARF6-CRISPR knockout, and FveARF6-overexpression. Together, this work provides a spatiotemporal framework for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fertilization-induced fruit development and morphogenesis.
PMID:
42827106
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Oct 2026.
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