Expression of Genes Affecting Skin Coloration and Sugar Accumulation in Apple Fruits at Ripening Stages in High Temperatures

Seon Ae Kim¹, Soon Young Ahn¹, Hyun Hee Han², In Chang Son², Hae Keun Yun^1*

¹Department of Horticulture and Life Science, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, South Korea.
²National Institute of Horticultural & Herbal Science, Wanju, South Korea.

DOI: 10.4236/wjet.2015.33B002                

Abstract

High temperature is one of the most important environmental factors that affect the successful cultivation of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh). The expression of genes related with anthocyanin synthesis and sugar accumulation by high temperature treatment was investigated in the fruits of “Fuji” apple at different developmental stages in different temperature conditions through real- time PCR. In the initial ripening stages in fruits, there was high expression of genes associated with fruit ripening, flavonoid compound accumulation, and coloration in high temperatures. Expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chalcone synthase, flavone 3-hydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase genes increased gradually in initial ripening stages, while sharply reduced at 24 hr after treatment. In addition, there was no significant difference in the expression of all temperature treatments in late ripening stages. In the further work, investigation of expression levels of various genes could be conducted in the level of transcriptomes from fruits at the early stages to get meaningful information of ripening metabolism in apples in high temperatures.

Keywords

Anthocyanin, Apple, High Temperature, Skin Coloration, Sugar Content

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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