BackgroundPerennial fruit trees display a perennial growth behaviour characterized by an annual c... more BackgroundPerennial fruit trees display a perennial growth behaviour characterized by an annual cycling between growth and dormancy, with complex physiological features. Rosaceae fruit trees represent excellent models for studying not only the fruit growth/patterning, but also the progression of the reproductive cycle depending upon the impact of climate conditions. In addition, the current development of high‐throughput technologies is starting to have an important impact on Rosaceae tree research for investigating genome structure and function as well as (epi)genetic mechanisms involved in important developmental and environmental response processes during fruit tree growth. Among the epigenetic mechanisms, chromatin remodelling mediated by both histone modifications and other chromatin-related processes play a crucial role in gene modulation, controlling gene expression process. A very useful technique to investigate the chromatin states in plants and their dynamics is chromatin ...
Consumers’ choices are mainly based on fruit external characteristics such as the final size, wei... more Consumers’ choices are mainly based on fruit external characteristics such as the final size, weight, and shape. The majority of edible fruit are by tree fruit species, among which peach is the genomic and genetic reference for Prunus. In this research, we used a peach with a slow ripening (SR) phenotype, identified in the Fantasia (FAN) nectarine, associated with misregulation of genes involved in mesocarp identity and showing a reduction of final fruit size. By investigating the ploidy level, we observed a progressive increase in endoreduplication in mesocarp, which occurred in the late phases of FAN fruit development, but not in SR fruit. During fruit growth, we also detected that genes involved in endoreduplication were differentially modulated in FAN compared to SR. The differential transcriptional outputs were consistent with different chromatin states at loci of endoreduplication genes. The impaired expression of genes controlling cell cycle and endocycle as well as those cla...
Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of... more Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of the susceptible cv Granny Smith apples. Wounding of skins has been reported to play a preventive role on scald development however its underlying molecular factors are unknown. We have artificially wounded the epidermal and sub-epidermal layers of apple skins consistently obtaining the prevention of superficial scald in the surroundings of the wounds during two independent vintages. Time course RNA-Seq analyses of the transcriptional changes in wounded versus unwounded skins revealed that two transcriptional waves occurred. An early wave included genes up-regulated by wounding already after 6 h, highlighting a specific transcriptional rearrangement of genes connected to the biosynthesis and signalling of JA, ethylene and ABA. A later transcriptional wave, occurring after three months of cold storage, included genes up-regulated exclusively in unwounded skins and was prevented from its o...
Solid lines indicate 1-MCP-treated fruit and dotted lines control fruit. Bars represent ±SE of th... more Solid lines indicate 1-MCP-treated fruit and dotted lines control fruit. Bars represent ±SE of three independent replicates. Arrows indicate the end of 1-MCP treatment.<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Transcriptome profiling of ripening nectarine ( L. Batsch) fruit treated with 1-MCP"Journal of Experimental Botany 2008;59(10):2781-2791.Published online 29 May 2008PMCID:PMC2486471.
In deciduous fruit trees, entrance into dormancy occurs in later summer/fall, concomitantly with ... more In deciduous fruit trees, entrance into dormancy occurs in later summer/fall, concomitantly with the shortening of day length and decrease in temperature. Dormancy can be divided into endodormancy, ecodormancy and paradormancy. In Prunus species flower buds, entrance into the dormant stage occurs when the apical meristem is partially differentiated; during dormancy, flower verticils continue their growth and differentiation. Each species and/or cultivar requires exposure to low winter temperature followed by warm temperatures, quantified as chilling and heat requirements, to remove the physiological blocks that inhibit budburst. A comprehensive meta-analysis of transcriptomic studies on flower buds of sweet cherry, apricot and peach was conducted, by investigating the gene expression profiles during bud endo- to ecodormancy transition in genotypes differing in chilling requirements. Conserved and distinctive expression patterns were observed, allowing the identification of gene spec...
Temperature, water, solar radiation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration are the main abiotic facto... more Temperature, water, solar radiation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration are the main abiotic factors that are changing in the course of global warming. These abiotic factors govern the synthesis and degradation of primary (sugars, amino acids, organic acids, etc.) and secondary (phenolic and volatile flavor compounds and their precursors) metabolites directly, via the regulation of their biosynthetic pathways, or indirectly, via their effects on vine physiology and phenology. Several hundred secondary metabolites have been identified in the grape berry. Their biosynthesis and degradation have been characterized and have been shown to occur during different developmental stages of the berry. The understanding of how the different abiotic factors modulate secondary metabolism and thus berry quality is of crucial importance for breeders and growers to develop plant material and viticultural practices to maintain high-quality fruit and wine production in the context of global warming. He...
Tartaric acid (TA) is an obscure end point to the catabolism of ascorbic acid (Asc). Here, it is ... more Tartaric acid (TA) is an obscure end point to the catabolism of ascorbic acid (Asc). Here, it is proposed as a “specialized primary metabolite”, originating from carbohydrate metabolism but with restricted distribution within the plant kingdom and lack of known function in primary metabolic pathways. Grapes fall into the list of high TA-accumulators, with biosynthesis occurring in both leaf and berry. Very little is known of the TA biosynthetic pathway enzymes in any plant species, although recently some progress has been made in this space. New technologies in grapevine research such as the development of global co-expression network analysis tools and genome-wide association studies, should enable more rapid progress. There is also a lack of information regarding roles for this organic acid in plant metabolism. Therefore this review aims to briefly summarize current knowledge about the key intermediates and enzymes of TA biosynthesis in grapes and the regulation of its precursor, ...
In grapevines, as in other plants, sucrose and its constituents glucose and fructose are fundamen... more In grapevines, as in other plants, sucrose and its constituents glucose and fructose are fundamentally important and carry out a multitude of roles. The aims of this review are three-fold. First, to provide a summary of the metabolism and transport of sucrose in grapevines, together with new insights and interpretations. Second, to stress the importance of considering the compartmentation of metabolism. Third, to outline the key role of acid invertase in osmoregulation associated with sucrose metabolism and transport in plants.
BackgroundPerennial fruit trees display a perennial growth behaviour characterized by an annual c... more BackgroundPerennial fruit trees display a perennial growth behaviour characterized by an annual cycling between growth and dormancy, with complex physiological features. Rosaceae fruit trees represent excellent models for studying not only the fruit growth/patterning, but also the progression of the reproductive cycle depending upon the impact of climate conditions. In addition, the current development of high‐throughput technologies is starting to have an important impact on Rosaceae tree research for investigating genome structure and function as well as (epi)genetic mechanisms involved in important developmental and environmental response processes during fruit tree growth. Among the epigenetic mechanisms, chromatin remodelling mediated by both histone modifications and other chromatin-related processes play a crucial role in gene modulation, controlling gene expression process. A very useful technique to investigate the chromatin states in plants and their dynamics is chromatin ...
Consumers’ choices are mainly based on fruit external characteristics such as the final size, wei... more Consumers’ choices are mainly based on fruit external characteristics such as the final size, weight, and shape. The majority of edible fruit are by tree fruit species, among which peach is the genomic and genetic reference for Prunus. In this research, we used a peach with a slow ripening (SR) phenotype, identified in the Fantasia (FAN) nectarine, associated with misregulation of genes involved in mesocarp identity and showing a reduction of final fruit size. By investigating the ploidy level, we observed a progressive increase in endoreduplication in mesocarp, which occurred in the late phases of FAN fruit development, but not in SR fruit. During fruit growth, we also detected that genes involved in endoreduplication were differentially modulated in FAN compared to SR. The differential transcriptional outputs were consistent with different chromatin states at loci of endoreduplication genes. The impaired expression of genes controlling cell cycle and endocycle as well as those cla...
Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of... more Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of the susceptible cv Granny Smith apples. Wounding of skins has been reported to play a preventive role on scald development however its underlying molecular factors are unknown. We have artificially wounded the epidermal and sub-epidermal layers of apple skins consistently obtaining the prevention of superficial scald in the surroundings of the wounds during two independent vintages. Time course RNA-Seq analyses of the transcriptional changes in wounded versus unwounded skins revealed that two transcriptional waves occurred. An early wave included genes up-regulated by wounding already after 6 h, highlighting a specific transcriptional rearrangement of genes connected to the biosynthesis and signalling of JA, ethylene and ABA. A later transcriptional wave, occurring after three months of cold storage, included genes up-regulated exclusively in unwounded skins and was prevented from its o...
Solid lines indicate 1-MCP-treated fruit and dotted lines control fruit. Bars represent ±SE of th... more Solid lines indicate 1-MCP-treated fruit and dotted lines control fruit. Bars represent ±SE of three independent replicates. Arrows indicate the end of 1-MCP treatment.<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Transcriptome profiling of ripening nectarine ( L. Batsch) fruit treated with 1-MCP"Journal of Experimental Botany 2008;59(10):2781-2791.Published online 29 May 2008PMCID:PMC2486471.
In deciduous fruit trees, entrance into dormancy occurs in later summer/fall, concomitantly with ... more In deciduous fruit trees, entrance into dormancy occurs in later summer/fall, concomitantly with the shortening of day length and decrease in temperature. Dormancy can be divided into endodormancy, ecodormancy and paradormancy. In Prunus species flower buds, entrance into the dormant stage occurs when the apical meristem is partially differentiated; during dormancy, flower verticils continue their growth and differentiation. Each species and/or cultivar requires exposure to low winter temperature followed by warm temperatures, quantified as chilling and heat requirements, to remove the physiological blocks that inhibit budburst. A comprehensive meta-analysis of transcriptomic studies on flower buds of sweet cherry, apricot and peach was conducted, by investigating the gene expression profiles during bud endo- to ecodormancy transition in genotypes differing in chilling requirements. Conserved and distinctive expression patterns were observed, allowing the identification of gene spec...
Temperature, water, solar radiation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration are the main abiotic facto... more Temperature, water, solar radiation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration are the main abiotic factors that are changing in the course of global warming. These abiotic factors govern the synthesis and degradation of primary (sugars, amino acids, organic acids, etc.) and secondary (phenolic and volatile flavor compounds and their precursors) metabolites directly, via the regulation of their biosynthetic pathways, or indirectly, via their effects on vine physiology and phenology. Several hundred secondary metabolites have been identified in the grape berry. Their biosynthesis and degradation have been characterized and have been shown to occur during different developmental stages of the berry. The understanding of how the different abiotic factors modulate secondary metabolism and thus berry quality is of crucial importance for breeders and growers to develop plant material and viticultural practices to maintain high-quality fruit and wine production in the context of global warming. He...
Tartaric acid (TA) is an obscure end point to the catabolism of ascorbic acid (Asc). Here, it is ... more Tartaric acid (TA) is an obscure end point to the catabolism of ascorbic acid (Asc). Here, it is proposed as a “specialized primary metabolite”, originating from carbohydrate metabolism but with restricted distribution within the plant kingdom and lack of known function in primary metabolic pathways. Grapes fall into the list of high TA-accumulators, with biosynthesis occurring in both leaf and berry. Very little is known of the TA biosynthetic pathway enzymes in any plant species, although recently some progress has been made in this space. New technologies in grapevine research such as the development of global co-expression network analysis tools and genome-wide association studies, should enable more rapid progress. There is also a lack of information regarding roles for this organic acid in plant metabolism. Therefore this review aims to briefly summarize current knowledge about the key intermediates and enzymes of TA biosynthesis in grapes and the regulation of its precursor, ...
In grapevines, as in other plants, sucrose and its constituents glucose and fructose are fundamen... more In grapevines, as in other plants, sucrose and its constituents glucose and fructose are fundamentally important and carry out a multitude of roles. The aims of this review are three-fold. First, to provide a summary of the metabolism and transport of sucrose in grapevines, together with new insights and interpretations. Second, to stress the importance of considering the compartmentation of metabolism. Third, to outline the key role of acid invertase in osmoregulation associated with sucrose metabolism and transport in plants.
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Papers by claudio bonghi