Articles
Recent progress in understanding the regulation of fruit ripening in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Article number
1440_2
Pages
15 – 22
Language
English
Abstract
Fruit ripening is a highly coordinated and complex process determining a wide range of characteristics affecting the fruit quality, such as flavour, nutritional value, shelf-life, and processing properties.
The fruit set occurs after fertilization, followed by first an active cell division and a later cell expansion phase leading to ripening, which coincides with seed maturation.
The ripening phase is regulated by a signalling network of thousands of genes that orchestrate the softening, and the accumulation of the secondary compounds and sugars in ripe fruits.
Plant hormones, especially ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) have major roles in the control of the ripening processes.
Based on the burst of respiration rate and ethylene production and/or the peak in ABA production at the onset of ripening, fruits are classified as climacteric or non-climacteric fruits, respectively.
We have studied the regulation of ripening in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), traditionally classified as non-climacteric fruits, by analysing the role of the plant hormones, transcription factors, and the structural genes controlling the anthocyanin accumulation and the cell wall softening during the berry ripening.
Our results have identified some upstream regulators of fruit ripening in bilberry and provided new knowledge on the R2R3 MYB and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, which are the key regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis.
Moreover, we have shown evidence of the role of ABA in controlling the ripening related anthocyanin accumulation in bilberry.
Our recent results on metabolomic and proteomic profiling of bilberry indicate an increase in ethylene biosynthesis during bilberry fruit development coinciding with the ABA peak, raising a need for further studies and clearer determination between the classification of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits.
The fruit set occurs after fertilization, followed by first an active cell division and a later cell expansion phase leading to ripening, which coincides with seed maturation.
The ripening phase is regulated by a signalling network of thousands of genes that orchestrate the softening, and the accumulation of the secondary compounds and sugars in ripe fruits.
Plant hormones, especially ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) have major roles in the control of the ripening processes.
Based on the burst of respiration rate and ethylene production and/or the peak in ABA production at the onset of ripening, fruits are classified as climacteric or non-climacteric fruits, respectively.
We have studied the regulation of ripening in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), traditionally classified as non-climacteric fruits, by analysing the role of the plant hormones, transcription factors, and the structural genes controlling the anthocyanin accumulation and the cell wall softening during the berry ripening.
Our results have identified some upstream regulators of fruit ripening in bilberry and provided new knowledge on the R2R3 MYB and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, which are the key regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis.
Moreover, we have shown evidence of the role of ABA in controlling the ripening related anthocyanin accumulation in bilberry.
Our recent results on metabolomic and proteomic profiling of bilberry indicate an increase in ethylene biosynthesis during bilberry fruit development coinciding with the ABA peak, raising a need for further studies and clearer determination between the classification of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits.
Publication
Authors
L. Jaakola, K. Karppinen, N. Nguyen, S. Jokipii-Lukkari
Keywords
anthocyanin biosynthesis, berry development, phenolic compounds, ABA, transcription factors
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