Redox and Hormonal Changes in the Transcriptome of Grape (Vitis vinifera) Berries during Natural Noble Rot Development

Abstract

Noble rot is a favorable form of the interaction between grape (Vitis spp.) berries and the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. The transcriptome pattern of grapevine cells subject to natural noble rot development in the historic Hungarian Tokaj wine region has not been previously published. Furmint, a traditional white Tokaj variety suited to develop great quality noble rot was used in the experiments. Exploring a subset of the Furmint transcriptome redox and hormonal changes distinguishing between noble rot and bunch rot was revealed. Noble rot is defined by an early spike in abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation and a pronounced remodeling of ABA-related gene expression. Transcription of glutathione S-transferase isoforms is uniquely upregulated, whereas gene expression of some sectors of the antioxidative apparatus (e.g., catalases, carotenoid biosynthesis) is downregulated. These mRNA responses are lacking in berries exposed to bunch rot. Our results help to explain molecular details behind the fine and dynamic balance between noble rot and bunch rot development.

Metabolite and transcriptome analyses reveal the effects of salinity stress on the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins in grape suspension cells

“…One candidate is VvERF109 , which was up-regulated by the increased level of salinity stress but down-regulated by the extended stress duration in grape suspension cells. ERF109 homologs have diverse roles: they promote anthocyanin accumulation in apple by targeting CHS, UFGT, and bHLH family regulators ( Ma et al., 2021 ); regulate salt stress by influencing programmed cell death, ROS scavenging product biosynthesis (including phenylalanine), and hormone signal transduction in Arabidopsis ( Khandelwal et al., 2008 ; Bahieldin et al., 2016 , 2018 ); and respond to Noble rot infection in grape berries ( Pogány et al., 2022 ). These studies suggest that VvERF109 might have a dual function in maintaining redox homeostasis and fine-tuning the flavonoid content to cope with the stress in grape suspension cells.…”

Secondary metabolites in grapevine: crosstalk of transcriptional, metabolic and hormonal signals controlling stress defence responses in berries and vegetative organs

“…Bc induces a substantial reprogramming of hormonal metabolism during grape berry ripening ( Figure 1 ). A recent study reported a dramatic increase in ABA (up to 140-fold) and dihydrophaseic acid (DPA) in Noble Rot (NR)-infected berries (cv Furmint), but not in grey mold-infected Marselan berries ( Pogány et al., 2022 ). ABA is a versatile player in the resistance against Bc .…”

“…In addition, Noble Rot (NR) (but not grey mold) induced different expressions of genes related to auxin and salicylic acid (up-regulated) and of one gene related to cytokinin (down-regulated). Two jasmonate O -methyltransferase isoforms were markedly induced both in the NR x Furmint interaction and in bunch rot inoculated Marselan berries ( Pogány et al., 2022 ). In this study, NR development triggered the transcription of genes involved in the initial steps of the phenylpropanoid pathway, such as several isoforms of PAL and trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenases (CYP).…”

“…Oppositely, the expression of two chalcone synthase-encoding genes ( CHS ) varied between NR and BR. Indeed, NR triggers a downregulation of CHS , which could justify the limited amounts of flavonols found in Sémillon berries affected by NR ( Blanco-Ulate et al., 2015 ), whereas BR upregulated expression of these genes ( Pogány et al., 2022 ).…”

“…These genes were expressed differently in young and adult leaves. Furthermore, numerous infection-related metabolic biomarkers were identified, including glutathione and proline, which accumulated particularly in the young leaves, thereby suggesting a defensive activation based on leaf age ( Pogány et al., 2022 ).…”