ARF — Cucumis melo

Summary

MELO3C032680.2, designated CmARF on melon chromosome 8, encodes a small GTPase of the ARF/SAR family. The product is associated with diverse molecular functions including G protein activity, phosphatidylinositol kinase activity, phospholipase activator activity, and blue light photoreceptor activity. It is linked to biological processes such as vesicle-mediated transport, regulation of auxin metabolism, chloroplast accumulation movement, and blue light signaling. The protein localizes to Golgi-associated vesicles, COPII-coated vesicles, and the ER membrane. CmARF is associated with agronomically relevant traits including biomass yield, water use efficiency, days to flowering, disease tolerance, oxidative stress response, and low temperature stress response. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to vesicular transport, phototropic response, and stomatal aperture opening.