Fig. 8

Proposed model of DNA methylation-mediated ROS production contributes to seed abortion in litchi. During the seed development of seed-abortive cultivars in litchi like 'NMC', it was observed that the genomic DNA of LcGPX6 exhibited relatively higher levels of DNA methylation. This higher methylation resulted in a lower expression level of LcGPX6. Since LcGPX6 is a key gene that encodes an enzyme responsible for scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), the decreased expression level of LcGPX6 may lead to an imbalance in ROS homeostasis, therefor resulting in the production of abortive seeds within the fruit