Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Isolation and characterization of genes associated with shade-induced apple abscission

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Molecular Genetics and Genomics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Apple trees generally produce excessive number of flowers and young fruitlets, which negatively affects commercial value. Thus, thinning is an important practice by which excessive flowers and fruitlets abort. Fruit abscission is difficult to predict or control, as many factors including shading can cause fruitlets to abort. In order to understand the molecular basis of shade-induced fruit abscission, two cDNA libraries were constructed using the suppression-subtractive hybridization (SSH) method and 347 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. 168 ESTs represent transcripts that are preferentially expressed after 24 h of shading, and the other 179 are derived from RNAs of small apple fruits that were shaded for 72 h. Sequence analyses revealed that these clones represent 68 (24 h) and 44 (72 h) unique genes; these genes belong in eight functional categories. The largest set of genes is related to carbohydrate metabolism including the sorbitol 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (S6PDH) gene that was generally believed not to be expressed in young fruits, while the second largest group contains unclassified or unknown genes. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that at least 26 genes are up-regulated after shade treatment. Some of these known genes may serve as molecular markers for apple monitoring the induction of fruitlet abscission. Improved genetic understanding is critical to the development of targeted abscission agents to better control apple crop loads and optimize apple production.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Atkinson CJ, Taylor L, Kingswell G (2001) The importance of temperature differences, directly after anthesis, in determining growth and cellular development of Malus fruits. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 76:721–731

    Google Scholar 

  • Bangerth F (2000) Abscission and thinning of young fruit and thier regulation by plant hormones and bioregulators. Plant Growth Regul 31:43–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bepete M, Lakso AN (1998) Differential effects of shade on early-season fruit and shoot growth rates in “Empire” apple. HortScience 33:823–825

    Google Scholar 

  • Byers RE, Barden JA, Polomski RF, Young RW, Carbaugh DH (1990a) Apple Thinning by photosynthetic inhibition. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 115:14–19

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Byers RE, Barden JA, Carbaugh DH (1990b) Thinning of spur “Delicious” apples by shade, terbacil, carbaryl, and ethephon. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 115:9–13

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Byers RE, Carbaugh DH, Presley CN, Wolf TK (1991) The influence of low light on apple fruit abscission. J Hortic Sci 66:7–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Dal Cin V, Danesin M, Boschetti A, Dorigoni A, Ramina A (2005) Ethylene biosynthesis and perception in apple fruitlet abscission (Malus domestica L. Borck). J Exp Bot 56:2995–3005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dal Cin V, Boschetti A, Dorigoni A, Ramina A (2007a) Benzylaminopurine application on two different apple cultivars (Malus domestica) displays new and unexpected fruitlet abscission features. Ann Bot (Lond) 99:1195–1202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dal Cin V, Galla G, Ramina A (2007b) MdACO expression during abscission: the use of 33P labeled primers in transcript quantitation. Mol Biotechnol 36:9–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis FG (2000) The history of fruit thinning. Plant Growth Regul 31:1–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis FG (2003) Flowering, pollination and fruit set and development. In: Ferree DC, Warrington IA (eds) Apples: botany, production and uses. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 153–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao M, Tao R, Miura K, Dandekar AM, Sugiura A (2001) Transformation of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) with apple cDNA encoding NADP-dependent sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Plant Sci 160:837–845

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gasic K, Hernandez A, Korban SS (2004) RNA extraction from different apple tissues rich in polyphenols and polysaccharides for cDNA library construction. Plant Mol Biol Rep 22:437a–437g

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-Cadenas A, Mehouachi J, Tadeo FR, Primo-Millo E, Talon M (2000) Hormonal regulation of fruitlet abscission induced by carbohydrate shortage in citrus. Planta 210:636–643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene DW (2002) Chemicals, timing, and environmental factors involved in thinner efficacy on apple. HortScience 37:477–481

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iglesias DJ, Tadeo FR, Primo-Millo E, Talon M (2003) Fruit set dependence on carbohydrate availability in citrus trees. Tree Physiol 23:199–204

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson P et al (2004) Crystal structures of a poplar xyloglucan endotransglycosylase reveal details of transglycosylation acceptor binding. Plant Cell 16:874–886

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kondo S, Takahashi Y (1987) Effects of high-temperature in the nighttime and shading in the daytime on the early drop of apple fruit starking delicious. J Jpn Soc Hortic Sci 56:142–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakso AN, Wünsche JN, Palmer JW, Grappadelli LC (1999) Measurement and modeling of carbon balance of the apple tree. HortScience 34:1040–1047

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakso AN, Robinson TL, Goffinet MC, White MD (2001a) Apple fruit growth responses to varying thinning methods and timing. Acta Hortic 557:407–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakso AN, White MD, Tustin DS (2001b) Simulation modeling of the effects of short and long-term climatic variations on carbon balance of apple trees. Acta Hortic 557:473–480

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakso AN, Robinson TL, Greene DW (2006) Integration of environment, physiology and fruit abscission via carbon balance modeling-implications for understanding growth regulator responses. Acta Hortic 727:321–326

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee YP et al (2007) Microarray analysis of apple gene expression engaged in early fruit development. Plant Cell Rep 26:917–926

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loescher W, Marlow GC, Kennedy RA (1982) Sorbitol metabolism and source–sink interconversions in developing apple leaves. Plant Physiol 70:335–339

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McArtney S, Latter MWI, Campbell J (2004) Individual and combined effects of shading and thinning chemicals on abscission and dry-matter accumulation of “Royal Gala” apple fruit. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 79:441–448

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb RD et al (2006) Analyses of expressed sequence tags from apple. Plant Physiol 141:147–166

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Park S, Sugimoto N, Larson MD, Beaudry R, van Nocker S (2006) Identification of genes with potential roles in apple fruit development and biochemistry through large-scale statistical analysis of expressed sequence tags. Plant Physiol 141:811–824

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Polomski RF, Barden JA, Byers RE, Wolf DD (1988) Apple fruit nonstructural carbohydrates and abscission as influenced by shade and terbacil. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 113:506–511

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ross GS, Wegrzyn T, Macrae EA, Redgwell RJ (1994) Apple beta-galactosidase—activity against cell-wall polysaccharides and characterization of a related cDNA clone. Plant Physiol 106:521–528

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruperti B, Bonghi C, Tonutti P, Ramina A (1998) Ethylene biosynthesis in peach fruitlet abscission. Plant Cell Environ 21:731–737

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tao R, Uratsu SL, Dandekar AM (1995) Sorbitol synthesis in transgenic tobacco with apple cDNA-cncoding NADP-dependent sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Plant Cell Physiol 36:525–532

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamada K, Oura Y., Mori H., Yamaki S. (1998) Cloning of NAD-dependent sorbitol dehydrogenase from apple fruit and gene expression. Plant Cell Physiol 39:1375–1379

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamaki S, Ishikawa K (1986) Roles of four sorbitol-related enzymes and invertase in the seasonal alteration of sugar metabolism in apple tissue. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 111:134–137

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou R., Cheng LL, Dandekar AM (2006) Down-regulation of sorbitol dehydrogenase and up-regulation of sucrose synthase in shoot tips of the transgenic apple trees with decreased sorbitol synthesis. J Exp Bot 57:3647–3657

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. James Giovannoni for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants to S.G. (NYC-145454) and to A.N.L. and T.L.R (NYG-632454) from Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. C.Z. was supported in part by grant to S.G. from National Science Foundation (MCB-0445596).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, 134A Plant Science, Ithaca, NY, 14853-5904, USA

    Chunjiang Zhou & Susheng Gan

  2. Department of Horticultural Sciences, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 West North Street, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA

    Alan N. Lakso & Terence L. Robinson

Authors
  1. Chunjiang Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan N. Lakso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Terence L. Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Susheng Gan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susheng Gan.

Additional information

Communicated by R. Hagemann.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

438_2008_348_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary Fig. S1 Differential expression of cDNA clones in the subtractive libraries. Quadruplicate colony dot blots were prepared and the membranes were hybridized with 32P-labeled cDNA probes made from the following, respective, RNA sample: (I) control 24 h; (II) shaded for 24 h; (III) control 72 h; (IV) shaded for 72 h. A–G, clones from 24-h library; H–L, clones from 72-h library (PDF 312 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhou, C., Lakso, A.N., Robinson, T.L. et al. Isolation and characterization of genes associated with shade-induced apple abscission. Mol Genet Genomics 280, 83–92 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-008-0348-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-008-0348-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation