Overexpression of CmDUF239-1 Enhances Cold Tolerance in Melon Seedlings by Reinforcing Antioxidant Defense and Ac-tivating the ICE-CBF-COR Pathway

The CmDUF239-1 gene enhances melon cold tolerance by upregulating genes involved in antioxidant defense, sugar and proline metabolism, and a core signaling pathway. This study not only characterizes a novel function for a DUF family gene but also pro-vides a promising candidate gene for the genetic improvement of cold resilience in melon and other related crops