Articles
HIGH AND LOW ACID LEMONS: ORIGIN AND TRANSCRIPTOME COMPARISONS
Article number
892_3
Pages
37 – 42
Language
English
Abstract
Citrus fruits are characterized by the accumulation of high levels of citric acid, which account for 90% of the total organic acids.
Citric acid is an important determinant of fruit taste because it affects the sourness of the fruit as well as the perceived sweetness, by masking the taste of sugars.
To study the role of gene expression in citric acid accumulation we compared the transcriptomes of juice sac cells in acid and acidless lemon genotypes using an Affymetrix microarray.
Three genotypes were used for the transcriptome analysis: Frost Lisbon (L), a standard sour lemon, and two Faris genotypes obtained from a chimera that produces on the same tree both sweet (Faris non-acid, FNA) and sour fruit (Faris acid, FA). After the transcriptome comparison was completed, we discovered that Faris is a graft chimera.
Here we present SSR marker data showing that layer 1 of Faris is derived from Millsweet lime or a very similar cultivar, whereas layer 2 is derived from an acid lemon similar to Eureka or Lisbon. Transcriptome comparisons among the three genotypes during two ripening stages showed high similarity between the two acid fruits and considerable divergence of FNA. Among the more interesting differences are genes involved in the GABA shunt pathway and a plasma-membrane type H+-ATPase.
Citric acid is an important determinant of fruit taste because it affects the sourness of the fruit as well as the perceived sweetness, by masking the taste of sugars.
To study the role of gene expression in citric acid accumulation we compared the transcriptomes of juice sac cells in acid and acidless lemon genotypes using an Affymetrix microarray.
Three genotypes were used for the transcriptome analysis: Frost Lisbon (L), a standard sour lemon, and two Faris genotypes obtained from a chimera that produces on the same tree both sweet (Faris non-acid, FNA) and sour fruit (Faris acid, FA). After the transcriptome comparison was completed, we discovered that Faris is a graft chimera.
Here we present SSR marker data showing that layer 1 of Faris is derived from Millsweet lime or a very similar cultivar, whereas layer 2 is derived from an acid lemon similar to Eureka or Lisbon. Transcriptome comparisons among the three genotypes during two ripening stages showed high similarity between the two acid fruits and considerable divergence of FNA. Among the more interesting differences are genes involved in the GABA shunt pathway and a plasma-membrane type H+-ATPase.
Authors
A. Aprile, C. Federici, T. Close, M. Roose, L. De Bellis, L. Cattivelli
Keywords
chimera, microsatellite, citrate, microarray
Online Articles (48)