Abstract
Several environmental stimulants and hormones can affect phenolic accumulation in grape berries, but the effects of ethylene and light and their interaction have not been completely deciphered. We measured the accumulation of anthocyanins (ATs) and proanthocyanidins (PAs) in berries of a red-wine grape, Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon, in four treatments: light exposure with and without ethephon, a commercial growth regulator that quickly converts to ethylene, and box-shading with and without ethephon. Ethephon did not significantly increase the weight and diameter of the berries but altered maturity parameters at 49 days after treatment. Ethephon and light increased the fresh and dry weights of the berry skins, induced the accumulation of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and PAs and up-regulated the transcription of VvLAR1, VvLAR2, VvANR, and VvMYBPA1. Light promoted the accumulation of ATs and the expression of AT biosynthetic genes more effectively than did ethephon. Ethephon and light had interactive effects on grape ripening and the contents of PAs and ATs by the way that light interfered with the effect of exogenous ethephon on endogenous ethylene biosynthesis and the downstream ethylene regulatory pathway. These findings provide new information about the physiological and molecular function of ethylene during berry development and the impact of the interaction between ethylene and light in Vitis vinifera.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Zhang Han (the vineyard owner) for kindly providing the berries and to Hai-li Xing Plastic Products Co., Ltd (Zhejiang, China) for kindly providing the shading boxes. We thank Jiang-Fei Meng and Fan Xu for stimulating discussions and critical readings of this manuscript. This study was supported by grants from the National Technology System for the Grape Industry (CARS-30-zp-9).
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Supplementary Fig. 1
Dynamic changes of ambient temperature for shaded (−L) and exposed (+L) clusters after box-shading during the berry developmental stage. The average daily temperature was calculated from continuously recorded data. (DOCX 1112 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 2
Grape berries at each sampling date for four treatments: +L+E, light exposure with ethephon; +L−E, light exposure without ethephon; −L+E, box-shading with ethephon; and −L−E, box-shading without ethephon. (DOCX 55 kb)
Supplementary Table 1
Primers used for the quantification of gene expression. (DOCX 22 kb)
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Liu, My., Song, Cz., Chi, M. et al. The effects of light and ethylene and their interaction on the regulation of proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin synthesis in the skins of Vitis vinifera berries. Plant Growth Regul 79, 377–390 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0141-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0141-z