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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285969
Title: Integrative comparative analyses of transcript and metabolite profiles from pepper and tomato ripening and development stages uncovers species-specific patterns of network regulatory behavior

Author
item OSORIO, SONIA - Max Planck Society
item ALBA, ROB - Boyce Thompson Institute
item NIKOLOSKI, ZORAN - Max Planck Society
item KOCHEVENKO, ANDRE - Max Planck Society
item FERNIE, ALISDAIR - Max Planck Society
item Giovannoni, James

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2012
Publication Date: 12/3/2012
Citation: Osorio, S., Alba, R., Nikoloski, Z., Kochevenko, A., Fernie, A., Giovannoni, J.J. 2012. Integrative comparative analyses of transcript and metabolite profiles from pepper and tomato ripening and development stages uncovers species-specific patterns of network regulatory behavior. Plant Physiology. 159:1713-1729.

Interpretive Summary: Fruits are generally classified into two physiological groups, “climacteric” and “nonclimacteric,” according to their respiration pattern and reliance on the plant hormone ethylene for ripening. Tomato is climacteric because they increase respiration and production of ethylene during ripening, but its close relative, hot pepper, is not. We have performed gene and metabolite profiling analyses of tomato and pepper in an attempt to identify genes related to the nutritional and physiological process that are in common and that distinguish these species. Genes related to fruit quality and a resource for further investigation of the molecular biology of tomato and pepper fruit development and nutritional content was created and deposited in a public database.

Technical Abstract: Integrative comparative analyses of transcript and metabolite levels from climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits can be employed to unravel the similarities and differences of the underlying regulatory processes. To this end, we conducted combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and heterologous microarray hybridization assays in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum; climacteric) and pepper (Capsicum chilense; nonclimacteric) fruits across development and ripening. Computational methods from multivariate and network-based analyses successfully revealed the difference between the covariance structures of the integrated data sets. Moreover, our results suggest that both fruits have similar ethylene-mediated signaling components; however, their regulation is different and may reflect altered ethylene sensitivity or regulators other than ethylene in pepper. Genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis were not induced in pepper fruits. Nevertheless, genes downstream of ethylene perception such as cell wall metabolism genes, carotenoid biosynthesis genes, and the never-ripe receptor were clearly induced in pepper as in tomato fruit. While signaling sensitivity or actual signals may differ between climacteric and nonclimacteric fruit, the evidence described here suggests that activation of a common set of ripening genes influences metabolic traits. Also, a coordinate regulation of transcripts and the accumulation of key organic acids, including malate, citrate, dehydroascorbate, and threonate, in pepper fruit were observed. Therefore, the integrated analysis allows us to uncover additional information for the comprehensive understanding of biological events relevant to metabolic regulation during climacteric and nonclimacteric fruit development.