Hopp til hovedinnholdet

Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2024

Abstract

Fruit ripening including softening process is a vital developmental phase for gaining appealing fruit flavour, colour and texture. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruits are well-known for their health-promoting effects. However, bilberry fruits have a short shelf-life indicating a high activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) [1] that may degrade fruit pectins leading to fruit softening. Pectate lyase (PL: EC 4.2.2.2) are recognized as pectin modifying enzymes, which are capable of cleaving glycosidic bonds through a β-elimination mechanism between galacturonosyl residues and result in loosening the cell wall during the cell separation and expansion growth phase in plants. In this study, a total of 25 PL genes from bilberry genome were identified and their expression was analyzed from transcriptome data of ripening bilberries. The genes associated in ripening fruits were further studied by qRT-PCR analysis which indicated that expressions of VmPL02, VmPL06, VmPL07, and VmPL24 peaked at ripening fruit and were also induced by ABA treatment. Further, the expression of these VmPL genes was induced by red light treatment. Verification of PL activity by recombinant PL proteins produced in yeast are ongoing. To conclude, our study indicated a role for four PL genes in bilberry fruit softening. Their induction by ABA and red light indicates them to be controlled by ABA-regulatory pathway [2], which is the key ripening controller in bilberry [1]. Thus, these genes may be responsible for the short self-life of bilberry fruit by attending in pectin degradation in fruit flesh. References [1] Karppinen K, Tegelberg P, Häggman H, Jaakola L: Abscisic acid regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and gene expression associated with cell wall modification in ripening bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruits. Frontiers in Plant Science 2018, 9:1259. [2] Samkumar A, Jones D, Karppinen K, Dare AP, Sipari N, Espley RV, Martinussen I, Jaakola L: Red and blue light treatments of ripening bilberry fruits reveal differences in signalling through abscisic acid‐regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis. Plant, Cell & Environment 2021, 44(10):3227-3245