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Melon ascorbate oxidase: cloning of a multigene family, induction during fruit development and repression by wounding

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Abstract

A small family of at least four genes encoding melon ascorbate oxidase (AO) has been identified and three members of it have been cloned. Preliminary DNA sequence determination suggested that melon AO genes code for enzymes homologous to ascorbate oxidases from other plants and similar to other multicopper oxidases. We describe detailed molecular studies addressing melon AO expression during organ specific differentiation, fruit development and ripening, and in response to wounding. In particular, AO transcript accumulation was induced in ovaries and the outer mesocarp of mature preclimacteric melon fruits, before the expression of genes encoding the necessary enzymatic activities for ethylene biosynthesis. On the other hand, AO was not expressed in late stages of fruit ripening and was repressed in wounded fruits. The role of ethylene in transcriptional regulation of AO is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Viticulture, Vegetable Crops & Floriculture, National Agriculture Research Foundation, PO Box 1841, GR-711 10, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    George Diallinas, Irene Pateraki, Maite Sanmartin, Angela Scossa, Eugenia Stilianou & Angelos K. Kanellis

  2. Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, PO Box 1527, GR-711 10, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    George Diallinas, Maite Sanmartin, Angela Scossa, Nickolas J. Panopoulos & Angelos K. Kanellis

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  1. George Diallinas
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Diallinas, G., Pateraki, I., Sanmartin, M. et al. Melon ascorbate oxidase: cloning of a multigene family, induction during fruit development and repression by wounding. Plant Mol Biol 34, 759–770 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005851527227

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