Articles
Understanding low oxygen stress in apple fruit during postharvest storage
Article number
1386_37
Pages
277 – 282
Language
English
Abstract
To satisfy consumer demands for year-round apple supply, postharvest storage techniques are employed to preserve apple fruit quality during long-term storage.
This long-term storage is focused on controlling the immediate atmosphere around the fruit as well as decreasing the metabolism and ripening process by limiting oxygen levels.
Applying the correct atmospheric conditions during storage is often a balancing act, where sub-optimal storage conditions or cultivar variation could cause abiotic stresses in the fruit.
The stress the fruit experiences then often results in unwanted physiological disorders, a good example of which being the internal browning disorder.
This study aims to understand the direct causes of internal browning disorder at the molecular level, as well as the mechanism through which the apple fruit senses and responds to low oxygen stress in particular.
Through bioinformatics analysis of the available apple genome it was possible to identify members of the Group VII ethylene response factors (ERF-VIIRSQUOs) known to regulate plant hypoxic responses.
First, 29 genes containing the functional, DNA-binding domain, APETELA2 (AP2) were identified.
Phylogenetic analysis then helped to narrow down and identify six potential apple ERF-VII homologues.
The characteristic conserved N-terminal domain was successfully identified for all six genes by DNA motif discovery software.
The respective genes were subsequently isolated from the Malus × domestica Jonagold and cloned to allow for sequence comparisons with the existing Arabidopsis thaliana and Malus × domestica Golden Delicious gene sequences.
This long-term storage is focused on controlling the immediate atmosphere around the fruit as well as decreasing the metabolism and ripening process by limiting oxygen levels.
Applying the correct atmospheric conditions during storage is often a balancing act, where sub-optimal storage conditions or cultivar variation could cause abiotic stresses in the fruit.
The stress the fruit experiences then often results in unwanted physiological disorders, a good example of which being the internal browning disorder.
This study aims to understand the direct causes of internal browning disorder at the molecular level, as well as the mechanism through which the apple fruit senses and responds to low oxygen stress in particular.
Through bioinformatics analysis of the available apple genome it was possible to identify members of the Group VII ethylene response factors (ERF-VIIRSQUOs) known to regulate plant hypoxic responses.
First, 29 genes containing the functional, DNA-binding domain, APETELA2 (AP2) were identified.
Phylogenetic analysis then helped to narrow down and identify six potential apple ERF-VII homologues.
The characteristic conserved N-terminal domain was successfully identified for all six genes by DNA motif discovery software.
The respective genes were subsequently isolated from the Malus × domestica Jonagold and cloned to allow for sequence comparisons with the existing Arabidopsis thaliana and Malus × domestica Golden Delicious gene sequences.
Authors
S. Pols, J. Boeckx, M.L.A.T.M. Hertog, B. Van de Poel, B.M. Nicolaï
Keywords
Malus × domestica, low oxygen stress, hypoxia, oxygen sensing, internal browning disorder
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