Development and evaluation of a cucumber TILLING population

BACKGROUND: Ordered collections of mutants serve as invaluable tools in biological research. TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) provides an efficient method to discover, in mutagenized populations, the possible phenotypes controlled by gene sequences whose function is unknown. This method can replace transgenic techniques for the functional validation of cloned genes, especially in the case of transformation-recalcitrant plants such as cucumber. RESULTS: We report the development of a TILLING cucumber population, generated by EMS mutagenesis in the Poinsett76 genetic background. The population was evaluated by screening for morphological mutations, and a range of developmental, pigmentation and spontaneous lesion mutants were observed. Suitability for detecting single nucleotide polymorphism in selected genes has been tested by screening a sample of amplicons, with detection rate of 1 SNP in ~1 Mbp. CONCLUSION: The population described in this Research Note represents a useful asset in cucumber research, to be exploited for forward genetic screens and functional genomics purposes.