Dataset Information

Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation.

ABSTRACT: Commercial tomatoes are widely perceived by consumers as lacking flavor. A major part of that problem is a postharvest handling system that chills fruit. Low-temperature storage is widely used to slow ripening and reduce decay. However, chilling results in loss of flavor. Flavor-associated volatiles are sensitive to temperatures below 12 °C, and their loss greatly reduces flavor quality. Here, we provide a comprehensive view of the effects of chilling on flavor and volatiles associated with consumer liking. Reduced levels of specific volatiles are associated with significant reductions in transcripts encoding key volatile synthesis enzymes. Although expression of some genes critical to volatile synthesis recovers after a return to 20 °C, some genes do not. RNAs encoding transcription factors essential for ripening, including RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), NONRIPENING, and COLORLESS NONRIPENING are reduced in response to chilling and may be responsible for reduced transcript levels in many downstream genes during chilling. Those reductions are accompanied by major changes in the methylation status of promoters, including RIN Methylation changes are transient and may contribute to the fidelity of gene expression required to provide maximal beneficial environmental response with minimal tangential influence on broader fruit developmental biology.

SUBMITTER: Zhang B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5098663 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation.

Zhang Bo B Tieman Denise M DM Jiao Chen C Xu Yimin Y Chen Kunsong K Fei Zhangjun Z Giovannoni James J JJ Klee Harry J HJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20161017 44

Commercial tomatoes are widely perceived by consumers as lacking flavor. A major part of that problem is a postharvest handling system that chills fruit. Low-temperature storage is widely used to slow ripening and reduce decay. However, chilling results in loss of flavor. Flavor-associated volatiles are sensitive to temperatures below 12 °C, and their loss greatly reduces flavor quality. Here, we provide a comprehensive view of the effects of chilling on flavor and volatiles associated with cons ...[more]

PMID: 27791156

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionFlavor is a major contributor to consumer preference. Despite being effective at extending the fruit's commercial life, cold storage also results in a significant loss of flavor volatiles. To date, there has been few studies on the metabolic dynamics and the mechanism underlying the regulatory networks that modulate flavor loss during cold storage for fruit.MethodsThe volatile contents were detected by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify structure genes and transcription factors (TFs). DNA methylation was analyzed by whole-genome methylation sequencing during cold storage.ResultsWe generated a temporal map, over hourly to weekly timescales, for the effects of chilling on flavor volatiles by combining metabolome, transcriptome, and DNA methylome in peach fruit. Based on the big data analysis, we developed a regulatory network for volatile formation and found that a decrease in volatiles during cold storage was significantly correlated with a decrease in the expression of synthesis genes. Moreover, TFs associated with these structure genes were identified. Expression of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis was reduced while cold tolerance pathway was activated in response to low temperature. Functions of those genes were confirmed through transgenic experiments and across peach cultivars, suggesting our dataset is a useful tool for elucidating regulatory factors that have not yet been clarified in relation to flavor and cold tolerance. Genome wide DNA methylation was induced by chilling and peaked at 7 d followed by a decline during 28 d cold storage. Reduction of gene expression was accompanied by major changes in the methylation status of their promoters, including PpACS1, PpAAT1, PpTPS3 and PpMADS2.ConclusionOur study revealed the mechanism for chilling-induced flavor loss of peach fruit through time-course transcriptome and DNA methylome analysis.

Dataset Information

Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation.

Publications

Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets