Project description:DNA methylation is a conserved epigenetic mark that is involved in many biological processes including the ripening process of various crop species bearing fleshy fruit, such as tomato, strawberry, and orange. The dynamics and importance of DNA methylation during grapefruit ripening, has however not yet been characterized. In this study, we observed an increase in DNA methylation level during grape berry ripening. The application of a DNA methylation inhibitor delayed ripening, consistent with an important role for DNA methylation in grape berries. In addition, we characterized the methylomes of the flesh and the skin the two main tissues of grape berry pericarp, as they present very distinct metabolic features. Results indicate that grape berry skin has a lower DNA methylation level than the flesh. Whereas in both tissues ripening is associated with an increase in DNA methylation, methylation patterns are clearly distinct between these two tissues as are the metabolic and transcriptomic profiles. Results indicated that the DNA methylation changes are associated with tissue specific metabolic modifications that occur during ripening, and involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites.
Project description:DNA methylation is a conserved epigenetic mark that is involved in many biological processes including the ripening process of various crop species bearing fleshy fruit, such as tomato, strawberry, and orange. The dynamics and importance of DNA methylation during grapefruit ripening, has however not yet been characterized. In this study, we observed an increase in DNA methylation level during grape berry ripening. The application of a DNA methylation inhibitor delayed ripening, consistent with an important role for DNA methylation in grape berries. In addition, we characterized the methylomes of the flesh and the skin the two main tissues of grape berry pericarp, as they present very distinct metabolic features. Results indicate that grape berry skin has a lower DNA methylation level than the flesh. Whereas in both tissues ripening is associated with an increase in DNA methylation, methylation patterns are clearly distinct between these two tissues as are the metabolic and transcriptomic profiles. Results indicated that the DNA methylation changes are associated with tissue specific metabolic modifications that occur during ripening, and involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites.
Project description:The experiment was aimed at describing similarities and differences between grapevine flesh and skin ripening at the transcriptome level. Transcriptional profiles throughout flesh and skin ripening were followed in three biological replicas during two consecutive growing seasons in a table grape cultivar ‘Muscat Hamburg’. Berries were weekly picked off bunches (one bunch per vine from each selected vine) from june to august. For each sampling, berries were classified in five ripening stages based on monitoring developmental stages instead of a simple chronological sampling. They corresponded to pre-véraison (P), 50% véraison (V1), 100% véraison (V2), ripe 1 (R1), and ripe 2 R2). P samples were harvested as green, hard berries of at least 15 mm in size, according to touch-assessed hardiness. Véraison berries with half or full coloured skin surface corresponded to V1 and V2 samples. After véraison, ripening berries were classified according to their floatability in solutions with different NaCl densities, as an indication of the internal sugar concentration. At this stage berries were sampled with densities between 110-130 g NaCl/L for R1 and between 130-150 g NaCl/L for R2, which corresponded to commercially ripen table grape berries. On each of the five samples, frozen berries were dissected and RNA from flesh and skin was obtained and processed for Grapegen Genechip microarray hybridizations. ****[PLEXdb(http://www.plexdb.org) has submitted this series at GEO on behalf of the original contributor, Pablo Carbonell-Bejerano. The equivalent experiment is VV33 at PLEXdb.]
Project description:Auxin treatment of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berries delays ripening by inducing changes in gene expression and cell wall metabolism and could combat some deleterious climate change effects. Auxins are inhibitors of grape berry ripening and their application may be useful to delay harvest to counter effects of climate change. However, little is known about how this delay occurs. The expression of 1892 genes was significantly changed compared to the control during a 48 h time-course where the auxin 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was applied to pre-veraison grape berries. Principal component analysis showed that the control and auxin-treated samples were most different at 3 h post-treatment when approximately three times more genes were induced than repressed by NAA. There was considerable cross-talk between hormone pathways, particularly between those of auxin and ethylene. Decreased expression of genes encoding putative cell wall catabolic enzymes (including those involved with pectin) and increased expression of putative cellulose synthases indicated that auxins may preserve cell wall structure. This was confirmed by immunochemical labelling of berry sections using antibodies that detect homogalacturonan (LM19) and methyl-esterified homogalacturonan (LM20) and by labelling with the CMB3a cellulose-binding module. Comparison of the auxin-induced changes in gene expression with the pattern of these genes during berry ripening showed that the effect on transcription is a mix of changes that may specifically alter the progress of berry development in a targeted manner and others that could be considered as non-specific changes. Several lines of evidence suggest that cell wall changes and associated berry softening are the first steps in ripening and that delaying cell expansion can delay ripening providing a possible mechanism for the observed auxin effects.
Project description:Anthocyanins, total phenols, soluble sugar and fruit shape play a significant role in determining the distinct fruit quality and customer preference. However, for the majority of fruit species, little is known about the transcriptomics and underlying regulatory networks that control the generation of overall quality during fruit growth and ripening. This study incorporated the quality-related transcriptome data from 6 ecological zones across 3 fruit development and maturity phases of Chardonnay cultivars. With the help of this dataset, we were able to build a complex regulatory network that may be used to identify important structural genes and transcription factors that control the anthocyanins, total phenols, soluble sugars and fruit shape in grapes. Overall, our findings set the groundwork to improve grape quality in addition to offering novel views on quality control during grape development and ripening.
Project description:Bud endodormancy induction response of two genotypes (Seyval, a hybrid white wine grape and Vitis riparia, PI588259, a native North American grape species) was compared under long (15 h) and short (13 h) photoperiods. Proteins were extracted from both genotypes for all time points and experimental conditions. The proteins were separaed by 2D-PAGE, trypsin digested, and the peptides identified with a MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer. A master gel was made and mapped with all proteins from both genotypes. The proteins were identified by matching the peptide sequences against the 8X Vitis vinifera grape genome in NCBI. This study was funded by NSF grant DBI064755 and is the result of a collaboration between Dr. Anne Fennell at South Dakota State University and Dr. Grant R. Cramer at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Project description:The abscisic acid (ABA) increase and auxin decline are both indicators of ripening initiation in grape berry, and norisoprenoid accumulation also start at around the onset of ripening. To investigate the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of the ABA and synthetic auxin 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) on norisoprenoid production, we performed time series GC-MS and RNA-seq analyses on Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries from pre-veraison to ripening. Higher levels of free norisoprenoids were found in ABA-treated mature berries in two consecutive seasons, and both free and total norisoprenoids were significantly increased by NAA in one season. The expression pattern of known norisoprenoid-associated genes in all samples and the up-regulation of specific alternative splicing isoforms of VviDXS and VviCRTISO in NAA-treated berries were predicted to contribute to it. Combined weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and promoter motif prediction analysis suggested that GATA26 and GATA28 could be potential regulators of norisoprenoid accumulation. Finally, the network analysis uncovered the interaction between previously identified switch genes, hormone-related genes and norisoprenoid-associated genes.