Apple fruit periderms (russeting) induced by wounding or by moisture have the same histologies, chemistries and gene expressions

Yun-Hao Chen; Jannis Straube; Bishnu P Khanal; Viktoria Zeisler-Diehl; Kiran Suresh; Lukas Schreiber; Thomas Debener; Moritz Knoche

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0274733

Apple fruit periderms (russeting) induced by wounding or by moisture have the same histologies, chemistries and gene expressions

PLoS One. 2022 Sep 29;17(9):e0274733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274733. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yun-Hao Chen¹, Jannis Straube², Bishnu P Khanal¹, Viktoria Zeisler-Diehl³, Kiran Suresh³, Lukas Schreiber³, Thomas Debener², Moritz Knoche¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Horticultural Production Systems, Fruit Science Section, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
² Institute of Plant Genetics, Molecular Plant Breeding Section, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
³ Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

Russeting is a cosmetic defect of some fruit skins. Russeting (botanically: induction of periderm formation) can result from various environmental factors including wounding and surface moisture. The objective was to compare periderms resulting from wounding with those from exposure to moisture in developing apple fruit. Wounding or moisture exposure both resulted in cuticular microcracking. Cross-sections revealed suberized hypodermal cell walls by 4 d, and the start of periderm formation by 8 d after wounding or moisture treatment. The expression of selected target genes was similar in wound and moisture induced periderms. Transcription factors involved in the regulation of suberin (MYB93) and lignin (MYB42) synthesis, genes involved in the synthesis (CYP86B1) and the transport (ABCG20) of suberin monomers and two uncharacterized transcription factors (NAC038 and NAC058) were all upregulated in induced periderm samples. Genes involved in cutin (GPAT6, SHN3) and wax synthesis (KCS10, WSD1, CER6) and transport of cutin monomers and wax components (ABCG11) were all downregulated. Levels of typical suberin monomers (ω-hydroxy-C20, -C22 and -C24 acids) and total suberin were high in the periderms, but low in the cuticle. Periderms were induced only when wounding occurred during early fruit development (32 and 66 days after full bloom (DAFB)) but not later (93 DAFB). Wound and moisture induced periderms are very similar morphologically, histologically, compositionally and molecularly.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Fruit / genetics
Gene Expression
Lignin
Malus* / genetics
Transcription Factors / genetics

Substances

Transcription Factors
Lignin

Grants and funding

The funding of this study was provided by the following sources: German Science Foundation (DFG), grant nr. KN402/15-1 to MK and DE511/9-1 to TD. The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access fund of the Leibniz Universität Hannover. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.