Premium
Involvement of an ethylene response factor in chlorophyll degradation during citrus fruit degreening
Author(s) -
Yin Xueren,
Xie Xiulan,
Xia Xiaojian,
Yu Jingquan,
Ferguson Ian B.,
Giovani James J.,
Chen Kunsong
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.13178
Subject(s) - pheophorbide a , citrus × sinensis , biology , ethylene , chlorophyll , nicotiana tabacum , arabidopsis , ripening , chloroplast , botany , horticulture , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , mutant , gene , orange (colour) , catalysis
Summary Chlorophyll degradation naturally occurs during plant senescence. However, in fruit such as citrus, it is a positive characteristic, as degreening is an important colour development contributing to fruit quality. In the present work, Citrus sinensis Osbeck, cv. Newhall fruit was used as a model for chlorophyll degradation. An ethylene response factor, Cit ERF 13 , was isolated and its transcriptional changes were closely correlated with fruit peel degreening during development or in response to ethylene. Dual‐luciferase and yeast one‐hybrid assays, as well as motif mutation, indicated that Cit ERF 13 directly binds to the Cit PPH promoter and enhances its activity. Transient and stable over‐expression of Cit ERF 13 resulted in rapid chlorophyll degradation in Nicotiana tabacum leaves and led to accumulation of pheophorbide (Pheide) a , a metabolite of pheophorbide hydrolase ( PPH ). Similar results were observed from transient transformation of Cit ERF 13 in citrus fruit peel. Moreover, this function of Cit ERF 13 was conserved within Arabidopsis and tomato, as the homologs At ERF 17 and Sl ERF 16 similarly acted as activators of PPH genes and accelerators of chlorophyll degradation.