130 – II.2. SQUASHES, PUMPKINS, ZUCCHINIS, GOURDS (CURCURBITA SPECIES)
Other studies involving Cucurbita
Several species of Cucurbita have been used in classic studies of plant biochemistry
(Frisse, Pimenta and Lange, 2003). Cucurbita pepo has long been used in studies of
purine synthesis (Lovatt, 1983), amino acid transport and beta oxidation of fatty acids
(Bush and Langston-Unkefer, 1988). This type of research has continued and, with use of
molecular tools, the expression of the ascorbic acid oxidase has been studied (Lin and
Varner, 1991), and cDNA from an anionic peroxidase has been obtained and
its expression analysed in different kinds of tissues (Carpin et al., 1999). A chromosomal
homologue to the aminocyclopropane-carboxylate synthase has also been cloned and
sequenced (Huang et al., 1991).
Modern biotechnology has supported an in-depth study of infection resistance
mechanisms by CMV (Havelda and Maule, 2000), and identified the genes that are
systemically induced by attacks of the white flies Bemisia argentifolii and B. tabaci
(van de Ven et al., 2000).
In addition, recent research has shown promising results for the use of the certain
cucurbitacins or cucurbitacin analogues to arrest the cell cycle in tumor cells and induce
apoptosis (Sun et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2010; Boykin et al., 2011).
References
Adkins, S. et al. (2006), “A novel whitefly transmitted potyvirus isolated from cucurbits in
Florida”, Phytopathology, Vol. 97, S3, pp. 145-154.
Adlerz, W.C. (1987), “Cucurbit potyvirus transmission by alate aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae)
trapped alive”, Journal of Economic Entomology, Vol. 80, No. 1, pp. 87-92,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/80.1.87.
Adlerz, W.C. et al. (1983), “Zucchini yellow mosaic virus: A pathogen of squash and other
cucurbits in Florida”, Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society, Vol. 96,
pp. 72-74, http://fshs.org/proceedings-o/1983-vol-96/72-74%20(ADLERZ).pdf.
Agrios, G.N. (1997), Plant Pathology, 4th edition, Academic Press, New York, New York.
Aliu, S. et al. (2011), “Morphological and nutritive variation in a collection of Cucurbita pepo L.
growing in Kosovo”, Notulae Scientia Biologicae, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 119-122,
http://notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/6066/5536.
American Phytopathological Society (2011), APSnet, http://www.apsnet.org/Pages/default.aspx
(accessed October 2011).
Anaya, A.L., R.C. Ortega and V. Nava Rodriguez (1992), “Impact of allelopathy in the traditional
management of agroecosystems in Mexico”, Chapter 17, in: Rizvi, S.J.H. and V. Rizvi (eds),
Allelopathy: Basic and Applied Aspects, Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 271-301.
Anaya, A.L. et al. (1987), “Perspectives on allelopathy in Mexican traditional agor ecosystems:
A case study in Tlaxcala”, Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 13, No. 11, pp. 2 083-2 101,
November, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01012873.
