CHANGES IN RIPENING ENZYMES DURING SWEET CHERRY FRUIT DEVELOPMENT

The activities of the fruit ripening enzymes cellulase, polygalacturonase (PG) and pectin methylesterase (PME) were detected during the development of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit. Cellulase and PG activities of pericarp tissue increased 4-10 times between hypanthium abscission and harvest. PME activity remained high throughout this period of fruit development. There was a positive correlation between the anthocyanin content of the pericarp and both cellulase and PG activities. Concomitant with the increases in the activities of these ripening enzymes was a decrease in fruit firmness. The increases in cellulase and PG activities were checked following two-weeks storage at 10 C after harvest. The purification and characterization of the putative cellulase and PG enzymes will be discussed, together with attempts to chemically inhibit their activities and modify fruit softening.

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Genome-Wide Identification of the Xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/Hydrolase (XTH) and Polygalacturonase (PG) Genes and Characterization of their Role in Fruit Softening of Sweet Cherry

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222212331 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (22) ◽

pp. 12331

Author(s):

Zefeng Zhai ◽

Chen Feng ◽

Yanyan Wang ◽

Yueting Sun ◽

Xiang Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Fruit Softening ◽

Fruit Firmness ◽

Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Fruit Development And Ripening ◽

Sweet Cherry Cultivars

Fruit firmness is an important economical trait in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) where the change of this trait is related to cell wall degradation. Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and polygalacturonases (PGs) are critical cell-wall-modifying enzymes that occupy a crucial position in fruit ripening and softening. Herein, we identified 18 XTHs and 45 PGs designated PavXTH1-18 and PavPG1-45 based on their locations in the genome of sweet cherry. We provided a systematical overview of PavXTHs and PavPGs, including phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, and expression profiling of these genes. The results showed that PavXTH14, PavXTH15 and PavPG38 were most likely to participated in fruit softening owing to the substantial increment in expression during fruit development and ripening. Furthermore, the phytohormone ABA, MeJA, and ethephon significantly elevated the expression of PavPG38 and PavXTH15, and thus promoted fruit softening. Importantly, transient expression PavXTH14, PavXTH15 and PavPG38 in cherry fruits significantly reduced the fruit firmness, and the content of various cell wall components including hemicellulose and pectin significantly changed correspondingly in the transgenic fruit. Taken together, these results present an extensive analysis of XTHs and PGs in sweet cherry and provide potential targets for breeding softening-resistant sweet cherry cultivars via manipulating cell wall-associated genes.

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FvMYB79 Positively Regulates Strawberry Fruit Softening via Transcriptional Activation of FvPME38

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms23010101 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 101

Author(s):

Jianfa Cai ◽

Xuelian Mo ◽

Chenjin Wen ◽

Zhen Gao ◽

Xu Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Transcriptional Activation ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Pectin Methylesterase ◽

Myb Transcription Factor ◽

Transcriptional Level ◽

Fruit Softening ◽

Fruit Firmness ◽

Strawberry Fruit ◽

Softening Process

Strawberry is a soft fruit with short postharvest life, due to a rapid loss of firmness. Pectin methylesterase (PME)-mediated cell wall remodeling is important to determine fruit firmness and softening. Previously, we have verified the essential role of FvPME38 in regulation of PME-mediated strawberry fruit softening. However, the regulatory network involved in PME-mediated fruit softening is still largely unknown. Here, we identified an R2R3-type MYB transcription factor FvMYB79, which activates the expression level of FvPME38, thereby accelerating fruit softening. During fruit development, FvMYB79 co-expressed with FvPME38, and this co-expression pattern was opposite to the change of fruit firmness in the fruit of ‘Ruegen’ which significantly decreased during fruit developmental stages and suddenly became very low after the color turning stage. Via transient transformation, FvMYB79 could significantly increase the transcriptional level of FvPME38, leading to a decrease of firmness and acceleration of fruit ripening. In addition, silencing of FvMYB79 showed an insensitivity to ABA-induced fruit ripening, suggesting a possible involvement of FvMYB79 in the ABA-dependent fruit softening process. Our findings suggest FvMYB79 acts as a novel regulator during strawberry ripening via transcriptional activation of FvPME38, which provides a novel mechanism for improvement of strawberry fruit firmness.

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Aroma Compounds Are Responsible for an Herbaceous Off-Flavor in the Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. Regina during Fruit Development

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11102020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2020

Author(s):

Juan D. Villavicencio ◽

Juan P. Zoffoli ◽

Anne Plotto ◽

Carolina Contreras

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Fruit Development ◽

Solid Phase Microextraction ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Solid Phase ◽

Phenological Stages ◽

Stage 4 ◽

Sweet Cherries ◽

Prunus Avium L

An herbaceous/grassy-like flavor has been reported by Chilean producers of Regina sweet cherry. There are no previous academic reports related to this flavor occurrence. Sweet cherries from five phenological stages were collected from six orchards with high herbaceous flavor incidence spanning Chilean production zones during the 2019/2020 season. Four experienced panelists tasted the fruit to identify the off-flavor incidence and intensity from four phenological stages, and the same cherries were analyzed for volatile compounds. Thirty-nine volatiles were identified and semi-quantified using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and GC-MS. The highest off-flavor incidence was found at the bright red (stage 3) and mahogany colors (stage 4). No single volatile explained the herbaceous flavor consistently among orchards. However, it appeared that the off-flavor was related to delayed ripening in cherries, with more C6 aldehydes and less esters. Furthermore, rainfall and the elevation of the orchard had a significant effect on the incidence of off-flavor. Preharvest practices that promote fruit ripening along with avoiding early harvests are recommended to reduce the incidence of herbaceous flavor in Regina.

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Integrative analyses of metabolome and transcriptome reveals metabolomic variations and candidate genes involved in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit quality during development and ripening

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0260004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. e0260004

Author(s):

Haiying Yang ◽

Changping Tian ◽

Shujun Ji ◽

Fengzhu Ni ◽

Xinguang Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Quality ◽

Fruit Development ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Sugar Metabolism ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Anthocyanin Content ◽

Flavonoid Pathway ◽

Upregulated Genes

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), one of the most appreciated and most important commercial temperate fruits, has high sensory quality and nutritional value. Investigating its metabolic variations provides valuable information on the formation of fruit quality. In this study, widely targeted LC-MS/MS based metabolomics was used to identify and quantify metabolic changes during ‘Black Pearl’ sweet cherry development and ripening. A total of 263 significant differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were detected during the four fruit-development stages. Significant differences were observed in the composition and content of compounds in the four stages of cherry development, especially sugars, organic acids, and flavonoids. Moreover, transcriptome analysis provided a molecular basis for metabolic variations during fruit development. A total of 6724 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Further correlation analysis of major DEMs and DEGs showed that 19 key DEGs were involved in sugar metabolism, 23 key DEGs in organic acid metabolism, and 13 key DEGs in flavonoid metabolism. The upregulated genes involved in the flavonoid pathway probably play an important role in regulating the rapid increase of anthocyanin content during fruit development. These comprehensive analysis data provide a better understanding to improve fruit quality traits based on molecular and metabolic levels.

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Biochemical and phenotypic characterization of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars with induced surface pitting

Postharvest Biology and Technology ◽

10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111494 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 175 ◽

pp. 111494

Author(s):

Excequel Ponce ◽

Blanca Alzola ◽

Natalia Cáceres ◽

Madeline Gas ◽

Catalina Ferreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Phenotypic Characterization ◽

Prunus Avium L

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Purification and characterization of a papaya (Carica papaya L.) pectin methylesterase isolated from a commercial papain preparation

Food Chemistry ◽

10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.01.042 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 133 (2) ◽

pp. 366-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Prasanna Vasu ◽

Brett J. Savary ◽

Randall G. Cameron

Keyword(s):

Carica Papaya ◽

Pectin Methylesterase ◽

Purification And Characterization

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Characterization and Transcript Profiling of PME and PMEI Gene Families during Peach Fruit Maturation

Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science ◽

10.21273/jashs04039-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 142 (4) ◽

pp. 246-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yunqing Zhu ◽

Wenfang Zeng ◽

Xiaobei Wang ◽

Lei Pan ◽

Liang Niu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Prunus Persica ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Pectin Methylesterase ◽

Gene Families ◽

Naphthaleneacetic Acid ◽

Regulation Mechanism ◽

Fruit Softening ◽

Peach Fruit

Pectins are synthesized and secreted to the cell wall as highly methyl-esterified polymers and demethyl-esterified by pectin methylesterases (PMEs), which are regulated by pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs). PMEs and PMEIs are involved in pectin degradation during fruit softening; however, the roles of the PME and PMEI gene families during fruit softening remain unclear. Here, 71 PME and 30 PMEI genes were identified in the peach (Prunus persica) genome and shown to be unevenly distributed on all eight chromosomes. The 71 PME genes comprised 36 Type-1 PMEs and 35 Type-2 PMEs. Transcriptome analysis showed that 11 PME and 15 PMEI genes were expressed during fruit ripening in melting flesh (MF) and stony-hard (SH) peaches. Three PME and five PMEI genes were expressed at higher levels in MF than in SH fruit and exhibited softening-associated expression patterns. Upstream regulatory cis elements of these genes related to hormone response, especially naphthaleneacetic acid and ethylene, were investigated. One PME (Prupe.7G192800) and two PMEIs (Prupe.1G114500 and Prupe.2G279800), and their promoters were identified as potential targets for future studies on the biochemical metabolism and regulation of fruit ripening. The comprehensive data generated in this study will improve our understanding of the PME and PMEI gene families in peach. However, further detailed investigation is necessary to elucidate the biochemical function and regulation mechanism of the PME and PMEI genes during peach fruit ripening.

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Purification and characterization of two isoforms of native α amylase from Ok-Rong mango (Mangifera indica Linn. cv. Ok-Rong)

Turkish Journal of Biochemistry ◽

10.1515/tjb-2016-0218 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 42 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Raksmont Ubonbal ◽

Saijai Porsoongnoen ◽

Jureerut Daduang ◽

Sompong Klaynongsruang ◽

Sakda Daduang

Keyword(s):

High Temperatures ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Specific Activity ◽

Mangifera Indica ◽

Ripening Stage ◽

Purification And Characterization ◽

Tropical Plant ◽

Short Period ◽

Structure Properties

AbstractIntroduction:The tropical plant amylases involved in the fruit ripening stage is outstanding for their high activities in converting starch to sugars within a short period at high temperatures over 40°C.Methods:The α amylase iso-enzymes from Ok-Rong mango (Results:The enzyme was purified 105-fold with a final specific activity of 59.27 U mgConclusion:Two α amylase iso-enzymes were classified as members of the low-pI group of amylases with identical structure, properties and functions. They are mesophilic with high possibilities for application for many purposes.

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