Abstract
Main conclusion
FveERF (FvH4_5g04470.1), FveAP2 (FvH4_1g16370.1) and FveWRKY (FvH4_6g42870.1) might be involved in fruit maturation of strawberry. Overexpression of FveERF could activate the expression of AAT gene and ester accumulation.
Abstract
Volatile esters play an important role in the aroma of strawberry fruits, whose flavor is the result of a complex mixture of various esters. The accumulation of these volatiles is closely tied to changes in metabolism during fruit ripening. Acyltransferase (AAT) is recognized as having a significant effect in ester formation. However, there is little knowledge about the regulation network of AAT. Here, we collected the data of RNA-seq and headspace GC–MS at five time points during fruit maturation of Hawaii4 and Ruegen strawberry varieties. A total of 106 volatile compounds were identified in the fruit of woodland strawberries, including 58 esters, which occupied 41.09% (Hawaii4) or 33.40% (Ruegen) of total volatile concentration. Transcriptome analysis revealed eight transcription factors highly associated with AAT genes. Through the changes in esters and the weight co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), a detailed gene network was established. This demonstrated that ERF gene (FvH4_5g04470.1), AP2 gene (FvH4_1g16370.1) and one WRKY gene (FvH4_6g42870.1) might be involved in expression of AAT genes, especially ERF genes. Overexpression of FveERF (FvH4_5g04470.1) does activate expression of AAT genes and ester accumulation in fruits of strawberry. Our findings provide valuable clues to gain better insight into the ester formation process of numerous fruits.
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Abbreviations
- AAT:
-
Acyltransferase
- DEGs:
-
Differentially expressed genes
- NES:
-
Nerolidol synthase
- PINS:
-
Pinene synthase
- QR:
-
Quinone oxidoreductase
- WGCNA:
-
Weight co-expression network analysis
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We thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.
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This research was funded by the Science and Technology Development Special Project of the Central Government Leading Local, Grant Number 2017L3001.
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Suppl. Table S1 The primers nucleic acid sequences of genes. Suppl. Table S2 The relative content of volatile compounds at five time points. Suppl. Table S3 Significance analysis of volatile compound profiles. Suppl. Table S4 The statistics analysis of mapped reads. Suppl. Table S5 The number of genes detected in each sample. Suppl. Table S6 Expression level and description of 11 transcription factors in profile 45. Suppl. Table S7 The gene members in gene correlation network. Suppl. Fig. S1 Biosynthesis pathway of esters from fatty acid in fruits. Suppl. Fig. S2 Biosynthesis pathways of esters from amino acid in fruits. Suppl. Fig. S3 The five different time points in the fruit ripening process. Suppl. Fig. S4 PCA analysis between samples . Suppl. Fig. S5 General trend of gene expression of each profile. Suppl. Fig. S6 Pathway enrichment of trend genes in Hawaii4. Suppl. Fig. S7 Pathway enrichment of trend genes in Ruegen. Suppl. Fig. S8 Expression level of genes in fruit. (RAR 28646 kb)
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Li, Z., Wang, Z., Wang, K. et al. Co-expression network analysis uncovers key candidate genes related to the regulation of volatile esters accumulation in Woodland strawberry. Planta 252, 55 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-020-03462-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-020-03462-7