Vaccinium research expands our understanding of complex flavonoid accumulation profiles and regulation in fruit

Authors: ALBERT, NICK - New Zealand Institute Of Plant & Food Research; LORIZZO, MASSIMO - North Carolina State University; MENGIST, MOLLA - North Carolina State University; MONTANARI, SARA - Plant And Food Research; Zalapa, Juan; MAULE, ANDREW - University Of Wisconsin; EDGER, PATRICK - Michigan State University; YOCCA, ALAN - University Of Michigan; PLATTS, ADRIAN - Michigan State University; PUCKER, BOAS - Braunschweig University; ESPLEY, RICHARD - Plant And Food Research

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2023
Publication Date: 5/2/2023
Citation: Albert, N.W., Lorizzo, M., Mengist, M.F., Montanari, S., Zalapa, J.E., Maule, A., Edger, P.P., Yocca, A., Platts, A., Pucker, B., Espley, R.V. 2023. Vaccinium research expands our understanding of complex flavonoid accumulation profiles and regulation in fruit. Journal of Plant Physiology. 1-15 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad250.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad250

Interpretive Summary: The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) contains premium berryfruit crops including blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and lingonberry. Consumption of Vaccinium berries is strongly associated with various of potential health benefits including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and improvements in cognitive function. Many of these benefits are derived from the relatively high concentrations of plant pigments, flavonoids, including the anthocyanins that provide the attractive red and blue berry colors. Since these phytochemicals are increasingly appealing to consumers, they have become a crop breeding target. This review paper describes the substantial recent progress in Vaccinium genomics and genetics regulation of plant pigments such as flavonoids. This review will help to unravel the developmental control of flavonoids and to identify genetic regions and genes that can be selected for, to further improve Vaccinium crops as well as our understanding of flavonoid regulation and biosynthesis across a broader range of fruit crops.

Technical Abstract: The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) contains premium berryfruit crops including blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and lingonberry. Consumption of Vaccinium berries is strongly associated with various of potential health benefits including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and improvements in cognitive function. Many of these benefits are derived from the relatively high concentrations of flavonoids, including the anthocyanins that provide the attractive red and blue berry colours. Since these phytochemicals are increasingly appealing to consumers, they have become a crop breeding target. There has been substantial recent progress in Vaccinium genomics and genetics together with new functional data on the transcriptional regulation of flavonoids. This is helping to unravel the developmental control of flavonoids and to identify genetic regions and genes that can be selected for, to further improve Vaccinium crops as well as our understanding of flavonoid regulation and biosynthesis across a broader range of fruit crops.