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Article|02 Mar 2026|OPEN
Identification and characterization of CsYP in regulating chloroplast development and cucumber peel color
Yuanyuan Cui1 ,† , Sen Li1 ,† , Haoying Wu1 ,† , Xi Zhao1 ,† , Xiao Zhang1 , Yuming Dong1 , Yaru Wang2 , Menghang An1 , Lin Yang1 , Xiaofeng Chen3 , Yiqun Weng4 , Huazhong Ren1,2 , Xingwang Liu,1,2 ,
1College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
2Sanya Institute of China Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
3College of Ocean and Agricultural Engineering, Yantai Institute of China Agricultural University, Yantai, Shandong 264670, China
4USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crops Research Unit, Horticulture Department, University of Wisconsin, 1575 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA
*Corresponding author. E-mail: liuxw01@cau.edu.cn
†Yuanyuan Cui,Sen Li,Haoying Wu and Xi Zhao contributed equally to the study.

Horticulture Research 13,
Article number: uhag043 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag043
Views: 18

Received: 15 Feb 2026
Accepted: 08 Feb 2026
Published online: 02 Mar 2026

Abstract

Skin color is a crucial quality trait in cucumber fruit, yet the regulatory mechanisms underlying cucumber skin color remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized a cucumber natural mutant displaying yellow peel, and identified a key gene yellow peel (CsYP) through map-based cloning. CsYP encodes a rhodanese-like protein with a Rhod domain. A single-base insertion results in premature termination of protein translation, leading to the yellowing pericarp phenotype in the natural mutant. To further investigate the function of CsYP, two knockout lines, yp-1 and yp-2, were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Phenotypic investigation of yp-1 and yp-2 revealed a significant yellowing of the pericarp starting from 6 days after pollination, consistent with the natural mutant phenotype. Additionally, our study revealed an interaction between CsYP and Cscytb6f, a cytochrome b6-f complex iron–sulfur subunit, suggesting a collaborative role of CsYP and iron–sulfur proteins in regulating cucumber peel color. These findings provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying cucumber peel color and broaden our understanding of this important trait.