SALAD, a single Myb-motif protein, regulates leaf margin serration in strawberry and Arabidopsis

This study identifies and characterizes a novel gene regulating leaf serration depth in diploid woodland strawberries (Fragaria vesca). We used bulk segregant analysis to identify the salad mutation, which resides in the MYB transcription factor SALAD, making use of a mapping population that segregates wild-type and mutant phenotypes. We pooled tissue from 25 wild-type individuals and 25 mutant individuals for DNA sequencing. SALAD limits leaf serration depth by repressing FveCUC2a expression during leaf serration formation in a time-specific manner, which is independent of the leaflet separation.