Genome-wide Identification of the GRAS Gene Family of Actinidia Arguta

GRAS transcription factors play important roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. In this study, the genome-wide identification of the transcription factor family of Actinidia arguta was carried out including an analysis of the physical and chemical properties, phylogenetic development, gene structure, collinearity between genes, and protein interactions. A total of 88 GRAS genes were identified in the genome of Actinidia arguta with protein lengths of 103-510 aa, a molecular mass of 11,603.25-22,457.96 kDa, and isoelectric points in the hydrophilic range between 4.45 and 6.50 From these genes, 67 were located in the nucleus and 21 in the chloroplast. The identified genes were further divided into eight subfamilies: SCR, HAM, DELLA, PAT1, SHR, SCL4/7, and GIGR. Members of the same subfamily had similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Motif 5 was highly conserved in the GRAS family. On the chromosomes of LG3, LG15, LG22, LG24, LG26 and LG28, there was a large number of tandem duplications of GRAS genes, with 64 pairs of genes orthologous with Arabidopsis thaliana. The analysis of protein interactions found that there were interactive relationships between SCL28 in the DLT subfamily and SCL14 in the LISCL subfamily and between SCL13 in the PAT1 subfamily and proteins of the LAS subfamily. Interactions were also observed between the SCL30, SCL33, and HAM4 proteins in the LISCL subfamily. This study, therefore, provides a reference for mining and verification within the GRAS genes in the Actinidia arguta genome.

Characterization and development perspectives of “Baby Kiwi “(Actinidia arguta Planch.) Culture in Georgia

The article presenta general description and development opportunities of “Baby Kiwi “(Actinidia arguta Planch,), one of the species of exotic fruit (Actinidia Lindl.), which is still in the experimental phase in Georgia and is an important topic in terms of the fruit assortment. The research has been carried out in collection orchard located in one of the leading regions of fruit-growing of Georgia - Shida (Inner) Kartli (vil. Jighaura, Saguramo Mtskheta municipality) and belonging to LEPL Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture (SRCA) in 2019-2020. The research aims at study of “Baby Kiwi “(Actinidia arguta Planch,) varieties ( Waik and Kens Reddy ) with the purpose of further propagation in Shida kartli itself and also in various fruit growing regions of Georgia. The following agronomic and biological characteristics were studied according to the cultivars: calendar periods of phenological phases; pomological description of fruits, their chemical analysis and productivity.

Aromatic Constituents from the Leaves of Actinidia arguta with Antioxidant and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity

As the leaf of Actinidia arguta has shown antioxidant activity, a study was conducted to identify the active ingredients. Forty-eight compounds were isolated from the leaves of A. arguta through various chromatographic techniques. Further characterization of the structures on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR and MS data identified several aromatic compounds, including phenylpropanoid derivatives, phenolics, coumarins, flavonoids and lignans. Among them, five compounds were newly reported, naturally occurring, and named argutosides A–D (1–4), which consist of phenylpropanoid glycosides that are conjugated with a phenolic moiety, and argutoside E (5), which is a coumarin glycoside that is conjugated with a phenylpropanoid unit. The isolated compounds showed good antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with differences in activity depending on the structures. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated the interaction between the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of compounds 1 and 5 with α-glucosidase. Taken together, the leaves of A. arguta are rich in aromatic compounds with diverse structures. Therefore, the leaves of A. arguta and their aromatic components might be beneficial for oxidative stress and glucose-related diseases.

Qualitative Preliminary Approach for the Development of a Sensory Vocabulary for Actinidia arguta Fruits

Actinidia arguta fruits (baby kiwi) have recently been introduced and marketed in Italy under the Nergi® brand. The freshness of fruits and the maintenance of their quality after the harvest time influence the perception of taste and the sensory attributes for final acceptance by the consumer. In this work, we propose to use recently introduced sensory methods to create a sensory vocabulary not yet available for the two varieties covered by the brand: cv. Hortgem Rua® and cv. Hortgem Tahi®. The check-all-that-apply (CATA) method was performed with 15 trained tasters of Sata s.r.l. company (Alessandria, Italy) and a set of attributes were defined through a focus group (recruited at DISAFA, University of Turin) with habitual fruit consumers. The results obtained by CATA identified different profiles for the two varieties marketed under the brand, offering the opportunity to better position and communicate the taste characteristics of the product to the consumer.