Grapevine red blotch virus alters grape skin cell‐wall composition impacting phenolic extractability during winemaking

Abstract

BACKGROUND Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is the causal agent of grapevine red blotch disease and is known to delay grape ripening. However, grape cell‐wall modifications during GRBV infection are largely unknown, even though the cell wall plays a large role in pathogenicity, viral interactions with host plants, and phenolic extractability during winemaking. Understanding the impact of GRBV infection on cell‐wall metabolism is important for the development of potential mitigations strategies. In this study, high‐throughput transcriptome sequencing was conducted on Vitis vinifera L. ‘Merlot’ grapes during ripening. The cell‐wall composition, phenolic content, and phenolic extractability at two different commercial harvest points were also determined. RESULTS Log fold changes indicated a strong induction in diseased grapes at harvest of several transcripts involved in cell‐wall solubilization and degradation. However, these observations did not translate to changes in cell‐wall composition at either harvest point in diseased grapes, potentially suggesting post‐transcriptional regulation. Moderate induction of pectin methylesterase inhibitor transcripts and transcripts associated with pathogenesis‐related proteins coincided with increases in pectin and soluble proteins in cell walls of diseased grapes at harvest. Both pectin and pathogenesis‐related proteins are known to retain phenolic compounds during winemaking. CONCLUSION Our study corroborates this finding when the percentage extractability of flavonols in wines was significantly lower when made from GRBV‐infected fruit. These results suggest GRBV alters the grape cell walls, consequently decreasing phenolic extraction during winemaking. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.