| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第8-9页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第9-12页 |
| 中文摘要 | 第13-17页 |
| ABBREVIATIONS | 第17-19页 |
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | 第19-23页 |
| LIST OF TABLES | 第23-24页 |
| LIST OF FIGURES | 第24-27页 |
| CHAPTER 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE | 第27-56页 |
| 1.1 Background information | 第27-30页 |
| 1.2 Research objectives | 第30-31页 |
| 1.3 Review of literature | 第31-56页 |
| 1.3.1 Characteristics of Cucurbita species | 第31-32页 |
| 1.3.2 Crossing approaches for development of inter-specific inbred lines | 第32-37页 |
| 1.3.2.1 Crossing approaches | 第33-35页 |
| 1.3.2.2 Morphological features among inter-specific inbred lines and their parents | 第35-37页 |
| 1.3.3 Fruit development in Cucurbita species | 第37-38页 |
| 1.3.4 Texture Evaluation | 第38-43页 |
| 1.3.4.1 Definition of texture | 第39页 |
| 1.3.4.2 Texture profiling | 第39-43页 |
| 1.3.5 Role of carbohydrates in squash fruit quality | 第43-50页 |
| 1.3.5.1 Squash fruit quality attributes for culinary use | 第43-46页 |
| 1.3.5.2 Starch structure:amylose and amylopectin | 第46-47页 |
| 1.3.5.3 Starch biosynthesis and the enzyme involved | 第47-50页 |
| 1.3.6 Role of carotenoids in squash fruit quality | 第50-56页 |
| 1.3.6.1 Fruit-flesh color | 第50-52页 |
| 1.3.6.2 Carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants | 第52-54页 |
| 1.3.6.3 Role of carotenoid and carotenogenic genes regulation in tomato and other fruits | 第54-56页 |
| CHAPTER 2 STARCH STRUCTURE,PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANDTEXTURAL PROPERTIES OF NOVEL INTER-SPECIFIC INBREDLINE SQUASH FRUITS | 第56-72页 |
| 2.1 Introduction | 第56-58页 |
| 2.2 Materials and methods | 第58-63页 |
| 2.2.1 Plant material and sample preparation | 第58-59页 |
| 2.2.2 Starch isolation | 第59页 |
| 2.2.3 Starch granule morphology | 第59-60页 |
| 2.2.4 Determination of total starch | 第60-61页 |
| 2.2.5 Dry matter assessment | 第61页 |
| 2.2.6 Cooking properties | 第61页 |
| 2.2.7 Water uptake and total Solid loss | 第61-62页 |
| 2.2.8 Textural properties of raw and cooked squashes | 第62-63页 |
| 2.2.9 Sensory analysis | 第63页 |
| 2.2.10 Statistical analysis | 第63页 |
| 2.3 Results and discussion | 第63-72页 |
| 2.3.1 Starch granule morphology | 第63-65页 |
| 2.3.2 Physicochemical and cooking properties of squash fruits | 第65-69页 |
| 2.3.3 Textural characteristics of raw and cooked squashes | 第69-72页 |
| CHAPTER 3 CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GENES INCAROTENOID AND STARCH BIOSYNTHESIS | 第72-101页 |
| 3.1 Introduction | 第72-77页 |
| 3.1.1 Rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends(RACE) | 第73-74页 |
| 3.1.2 Overview carotenoid biosynthesis pathway | 第74-76页 |
| 3.1.3 Overview starch biosynthesis pathway | 第76-77页 |
| 3.2 Materials and methods | 第77-82页 |
| 3.2.1 Total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis | 第77页 |
| 3.2.2 Primer design | 第77-79页 |
| 3.2.3 Cloning of cDNA encoding carotenoid and starch related genes | 第79-80页 |
| 3.2.4 Sequence analysis and multiple alignments | 第80-82页 |
| 3.3 Results and discussion | 第82-101页 |
| 3.3.1 Phytoene synthase (PSY) | 第82-83页 |
| 3.3.2 Phytoene desaturase (PDS) and ζ-carotene desaturase (ZDS) | 第83-84页 |
| 3.3.3 Lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB) and Lycopene ε-cyclase (LCYE) | 第84-89页 |
| 3.3.4 β-carotene hydroxylase (CHYB) | 第89-90页 |
| 3.3.5 Zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) | 第90页 |
| 3.3.6 Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) | 第90-93页 |
| 3.3.7 ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase large subunit (AGPaseL) | 第93页 |
| 3.3.8 Granule-bound starch synthase(GBSS) and Soluble starch synthase (SSS) | 第93-98页 |
| 3.3.9 Starch branching enzyme (SBE) | 第98页 |
| 3.3.10 Starch debranching enzyme-isoamylase type (ISA) | 第98-101页 |
| CHAPTER 4 STARCH ACCUMULATION AND STARCH RELATEDGENES EXPRESSION IN NOVEL INTER-SPECIFIC INBRED SQUASHLINES AND THEIR PARENTS DURING FRUIT DEVELOPMENT | 第101-117页 |
| 4.1 Introduction | 第101-104页 |
| 4.2 Materials and methods | 第104-108页 |
| 4.2.1 Plant material | 第104页 |
| 4.2.2 Dry matter assessment | 第104-105页 |
| 4.2.3 Starch isolation | 第105页 |
| 4.2.4 Determination of amylose and amylopectin | 第105-106页 |
| 4.2.5 Total RNA isolation | 第106页 |
| 4.2.6 Quantitative real time PCR analysis | 第106-108页 |
| 4.3 Results and discussion | 第108-117页 |
| 4.3.1 Percent dry matter and starch accumulation during fruit development | 第108-111页 |
| 4.3.2 Expression profiles of starch related genes | 第111-117页 |
| CHAPTER 5 CAROTENOID ACCUMULATION AND CAROTENOGENICGENE EXPRESSION DURING FRUIT DEVELOPMENT IN NOVEL INTER-SPECIFIC INBRED SQUASH LINES AND THEIR PARENTS | 第117-138页 |
| 5.1 Introduction | 第117-120页 |
| 5.2 Materials and methods | 第120-124页 |
| 5.2.1 Plant materials | 第120-121页 |
| 5.2.2 Carotenoid extraction | 第121页 |
| 5.2.3 HPLC analysis of carotenoids | 第121-122页 |
| 5.2.4 Total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis | 第122页 |
| 5.2.5 Quantitative real time PCR analysis | 第122-124页 |
| 5.3 Results and discussion | 第124-138页 |
| 5.3.1 Color changes of squash fruit flesh during fruit development | 第124-126页 |
| 5.3.2 Changes in carotenoid composition in the fruit flesh of squashes | 第126-130页 |
| 5.3.3 Carotenogenic gene expression profiles during squash fruit development | 第130-138页 |
| CHAPTER 6 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS | 第138-141页 |
| 6.1 Overall conclusions | 第138-139页 |
| 6.2 Future prospects | 第139-141页 |
| REFERENCES | 第141-160页 |
