Effects of fruit thinning on ascorbate–glutathione cycle metabolism in black currants (Ribes nigrum L.)

Abstract

To elucidate mechanisms regulating ascorbic acid (AsA) biosynthesis and accumulation in the fruit and leaves of black currants, AsA and the activities of key enzymes in the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA–GSH) cycle were measured from fruit set to fruit ripening during fruit thinning treatments of three common commercial black currant cultivars that differed in their AsA levels: ‘Risager’ (low), ‘Brodtrop’ (medium) and ‘Adelinia’ (high). Treatments were 50% fruit reduction (50% of total fruit set) by hand, control was no thinning. Fruit thinning treatment significantly increased AsA content in fruit of all three cultivars from weeks 2 to 8, significantly decreased AsA content in leaves from weeks 3 to 8. Dehydroascorbate reductase and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities in fruit and leaves had a similar pattern, increasing during week 2, rose until they peaked in week 4. Ascorbate peroxidase activity in fruit in the thinning treatment was slightly lower than in the control. Fruit thinning was shown to be a good model to test AsA biosynthesis regulation and accumulation in black currants. The results from our study provided strong evidence that AsA–GSH cycle involved in AsA synthesis and accumulation in fruit.

Keywords

Synthesis and accumulation / Enzymatic activity / Black currants

References

[1] An HM, Chen LG, Fan WG, Hu XQ. Advances in research on function, biosynthesis and metabolism of ascorbic acid in higher plants. Chin Bull Bot, 2004, 21(5): 608-617.

[2] An HM, Chen LG, Fan WG, Liu QL. Relationship between ascorbic acid accumulation and related enzyme activities in fruit of Rosa roxburghii Tratt. J Plant Physiol Mol Biol, 2005, 31(4): 431-436.

[3] Asada K. Ascorbate peroxidase a hydrogen peroxide-scavenging enzyme in plants. Physiol Plant, 1992, 85(2): 235-241.

[4] Chen KM, Gong HJ, Wang SM. Biosynthesis, transport and function of ascorbate in plants. Acta Bot Boreali Occident Sin, 2004, 24(2): 329-336.

[5] Danny LB, Kim EH. Currants, gooseberries, and jostaberries: a guide for growers, marketers, and researchers in North America, 2009, Boca Raton: CRC Press 1 18

[6] Franceschi VR, Taryln N. L-ascorbic acid is accumulated in phloem and transported to sink tissues in plants. Plant Physiol, 2002, 130: 649-656.

[7] Griffith OW. Determination of glutathione and glutathione disulfide using glutathione reductase and 2-vinylpyridine. Anal Biochem, 1980, 106: 207-212.

[8] Huang M (2013) Molecular mechanism for the accumulation of high content of L-ascorbic acid in Chestnut Rose. Thesis (PhD), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan

[9] Kampfenkel K, Van Montagu M, Inzè D. Extraction and determination of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate from plant tissue. Anal Biochem, 1995, 225: 165-167.

[10] Li SL (2013). A preliminary study of the diversity of black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) ascorbic acid levels and biosynthesis. Thesis (MS), Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin

[11] Li FX (2014) Studies on ascorbic acid diversity in leaves and relationship with fruit of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.). Thesis (MS), Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin

[12] Li FX, Qin D, Li SL, Zhan G, Huo JW, Wang HH. Ascorbic acid content and difference of related enzyme activities in fruit of blackcurrant. J South Agric, 2014, 45(7): 1237-1241.

[13] Li SL, Huo JW, Li FX, Qin D. Comparing of methods for determination of ascorbic acid content of black currant. J Jilin Agric Sci, 2014, 39(2): 74-77.

[14] Ma FW, Cheng LL. The sun-exposed peel of apple fruit has higher xanthophyll cycle dependent thermal dissipation and antioxidants of the ascorbate-glutathione pathway than the shade peel. Plant Sci, 2003, 165: 819-827.

[15] Ma CH, Ma FW, Li MJ, Han MY, Shu HR. Comparisons of ascorbic acid contents and activities of metabolism relative enzymes in apple leaves of various ages. Acta Hortic Sin, 2007, 34(4): 995-998.

[16] Noctor G, Foyer CH. Ascorbate and glutathione: keeping active oxygen under control. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol, 1998, 49: 249-279.

[17] Potters G, Horemans N, Caubergs RJ, Asard H. Ascorbate and dehydroascorbate influence cell cycle propression in a tobacco cell suspension. Plant Physiol, 2000, 124(1): 17-20.

[18] Qin AG, Yu XC. Relationship between ascorbic acid content and the enzyme activities involved in AsA metabolism of Potato. Acta Hortic Sin, 2009, 36(9): 1370-1374.

[19] Qin D, Huo JW, Sui W, Zhang ZF. Black currant production, breeding and processing in China. Acta Hortic, 2012, 926: 119-122.

[20] Smirnoff N, Conklin PL, Loewus FA. Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in plants: a renaissance. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol, 2001, 52: 437-467.

[21] Tang QY. Date processing system: experimental design, statistical analysis and data mining, 2010, Beijing: Science Press.

[22] Tomasz K, Piotr L, Agata L. Changes of physicochemical quality, phenolics and vitamin C content in hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta and its hybrid) during storage. Sci Hortic, 2011, 130: 410-417.

[23] Zhang BX, Li ZG, Gao Y, Liu D, Gao QY. Relationship between DHAR and AsA accumulation in strawberry and its DHAR RNAi genetic transformation. J South Agric, 2012, 43(11): 1626-1632.