Articles
BREEDING FOR IMPROVED CULTIVARS USING MOLECULAR KNOWLEDGE ON DIVERSITY IN POMEGRANATE
Article number
890_9
Pages
87 – 90
Language
English
Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars display a wide range of phenotypic differences such as growth habit, dwarfism, entrance to dormancy, chill requirements for dormancy release, content of secondary metabolites and fruit qualities.
Our goal is to breed for improved pomegranate cultivars by utilizing molecular knowledge.
For this purpose knowledge of the factors that influence this variation and the genetic factors that control pomegranate diversity is crucial.
Our current study was focused on fruit skin color and incorporates parallel molecular analysis and establishment of cross-bred populations of pomegranate to produce colorful high quality fruits.
In the cross bred populations we use parental lines combining appealing colors, high quality fruit and other desirable horticultural traits.
In pomegranate, polyphenols and flavonoids, particularly anthocyanins are the coloring molecules present in fruits and leaves.
In order to study fruit color in pomegranate our efforts were focused on the isolation and characterization of the genes involved in the flavonoid-anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway.
Twelve genes were isolated by RT-PCR from pomegranate including structural and regulatory genes based on homology to similar genes from other plant systems.
The expression of the flavonoid pathway genes during fruit development was studied and compared between different pomegranate cultivars.
Most of the genes found are develop-mentally regulated during fruit ripening at the transcriptional level.
Assessment of the function of the individual genes is now being studied in both the pomegranate and in Arabidopsis model system.
The molecular knowledge will enable to use identified key genes responsible for color variation as markers for selection in the cross bred populations.
Our goal is to breed for improved pomegranate cultivars by utilizing molecular knowledge.
For this purpose knowledge of the factors that influence this variation and the genetic factors that control pomegranate diversity is crucial.
Our current study was focused on fruit skin color and incorporates parallel molecular analysis and establishment of cross-bred populations of pomegranate to produce colorful high quality fruits.
In the cross bred populations we use parental lines combining appealing colors, high quality fruit and other desirable horticultural traits.
In pomegranate, polyphenols and flavonoids, particularly anthocyanins are the coloring molecules present in fruits and leaves.
In order to study fruit color in pomegranate our efforts were focused on the isolation and characterization of the genes involved in the flavonoid-anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway.
Twelve genes were isolated by RT-PCR from pomegranate including structural and regulatory genes based on homology to similar genes from other plant systems.
The expression of the flavonoid pathway genes during fruit development was studied and compared between different pomegranate cultivars.
Most of the genes found are develop-mentally regulated during fruit ripening at the transcriptional level.
Assessment of the function of the individual genes is now being studied in both the pomegranate and in Arabidopsis model system.
The molecular knowledge will enable to use identified key genes responsible for color variation as markers for selection in the cross bred populations.
Publication
Authors
I. Bar-Ya’akov, K. Hatib, T. Nadler-Hassar, Z. Ben-Simhon, T. Trainin, D. Holland, H. Borochov-Neori
Keywords
anthocyanin, breeding, cultivar, diversity, fruit color
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