Understanding the Constitutive and Induced Biosynthesis of Mono- and Sesquiterpenes in Grapes (Vitis vinifera): A Key to Unlocking the Biochemical Secrets of Unique Grape Aroma Profiles

Abstract

The present review integrates current knowledge on mono- and sesquiterpenes in grapes with a special focus on biochemical and physiological aspects. Recent research has impressively shown the prominence of terpenoid metabolism in grapevine (Vitis sp). The 69 putatively functional mono- and sesquiterpene synthases that were identified by the analysis of the updated 12-fold sequencing and assembly of the grapevine genome deliver the scaffolds for structural diversity and display a surprising expansion of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family in grapevine when compared to other plants like Arabidopsis thaliana (32 TPS). While monoterpenes occur as highly functionalized compounds and are stored as their corresponding glycoconjugates in berry tissues, sesquiterpenes are mainly present as unsaturated hydrocarbons and accumulate in the epicuticular wax layer of intact berries. Interestingly, both groups of terpenes appear to be involved as volatile organic compounds in plant defense and their biosynthesis is enhanced via the jasmonic acid signaling pathway. These novel aspects will help to understand how environmental cues affect the genes and enzymes of various metabolic pathways of relevant wine aroma compounds with numerous links to enology and wine flavor chemistry.

Molecular Diversity of Terpene Synthases in the Liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

“…All the terrestrial plant genera genomes examined to date appear to harbor diterpene synthase genes for kaurene biosynthesis, a precursor to gibberellins and gibberellin-like growth regulators. For mono-and sesquiterpene synthase genes, the angiosperms Arabidopsis and Vitis harbor 27 and 66 annotated genes, respectively (Chen et al, 2011;Vaughan et al, 2013;Schwab and Wüst, 2015). In the case of non-seed plants like Selaginella, 48 mono-and sesquiterpene synthase genes were predicted (Li et al, 2012), while Physcomitrella was found to contain only one functional diterpene synthase gene (Hayashi et al, 2006).…”

Impact of agronomic practices on grape aroma composition: a review

“…Sesquiterpenes (C 15 ) are found in the berries' epicuticular wax. Within sesquiterpenes, the ketone rotundone is a key aroma compound for the peppery character of high‐quality Syrah wines …”

Insights into the Sesquiterpenoid Pathway by Metabolic Profiling and De novo Transcriptome Assembly of Stem-Chicory (Cichorium intybus Cultigroup “Catalogna”)

“…The enzymes and respective genes ( GAS, germacrene A synthase; GAO, germacrene A oxidase; COS, costunolide synthase ) were characterized in several Asteraceae species (Nguyen et al, 2010; Cankar et al, 2011; Ikezawa et al, 2011; Liu et al, 2011; Ramirez et al, 2013; Eljounaidi et al, 2014, 2015). Terpene synthase genes of the STL pathway have been identified in model plants (Kitaoka et al, 2015; Tholl, 2015) and crops, such as tomato (Falara et al, 2011) and grapevine (Schwab and Wust, 2015). However, to date, enzymes and genes leading to the Lc- and Lp-compounds have not been identified yet.…”