To learn how the endogenous polyphenols may play a role in fruit ripening and senescence, apple pulp discs were used as a model to study the influences of chlorogenic acid (CHA, a major polyphenol in apple pulp) on fruit ripening and senescence. Apple ('Golden Delicious') pulp discs prepared from pre-climacteric fruit were treated with 50 mg L(-1) CHA and incubated in flasks with 10 mM MES buff...

WRKY transcription factors play important roles in plant development and stress responses. Here, global expression patterns of pepper CaWRKYs in various tissues as well as response to environmental stresses and plant hormones were systematically analyzed, with an emphasis on fruit ripening. The results showed that most CaWRKYs were expressed in at least two of the tissues tested. Group I, a sub...

The fruit ripening developmental program is specific to plants bearing fleshy fruits and dramatically changes fruit characteristics, including color, aroma, and texture. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) MADS box transcription factor RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), one of the earliest acting ripening regulators, is required for both ethylene-dependent and -independent ripening regulatory pathways. Re...

The aim of the work reported herein was to determine whether the lack of normal ripening in fruits of rin and nor tomato mutants is due to the presence of ripening inhibitors or to the lack of ripening factors in the fruit. A fruit tissue transplantation technique was developed for this purpose.Disks of pericarp tissue were transplanted reciprocally between tomato fruits (Lycopersicon esculentu...

Grape and wine production and quality is extremely dependent on the fruit ripening process. Sensory and nutritional characteristics are important aspects for consumers and their development during fruit ripening involves complex hormonal control. In this review, we explored data already published on grape ripening and compared it with the hormonal regulation of ripening of other climacteric and...

This work tested one aspect of the relations between membrane permeability and fruit ripening. Membrane permeability was measured as [(3)H]water efflux rate from preloaded fruit pericarp disks. Different stages of fruit development were compared between two tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) strains: the normal Rutgers and the isogenic nonripening rin strain. The first significant increase i...

The maturation and ripening of fleshy fruits contributes a major component of human diets, nutrition and agricultural activity. While ripening brings about highly desirable changes in fruit character and chemistry in terms of flavor, appearance, texture and nutrition, the advanced stages of ripening lead to sub-optimal fruit quality and eventually post-harvest loss. Fruit biologists have studie...

The plant-specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the precise role of NAC TFs in relation to fruit ripening is poorly understood. In this study, six NAC genes, designated MaNAC1-MaNAC6, were isolated and characterized from banana fruit. Subcellular localization showed that MaNAC1-MaNAC5 p...

Coffee quality is directly related to the harvest and post harvest conditions. Non-uniform maturation of coffee fruits, combined with inadequate harvest, negatively affects the final quality of the product. Pectin methylesterase (PME) plays an important role in fruit softening due to the hydrolysis of methylester groups in cell wall pectins. In order to characterize the changes occurring d...

In higher plants, the plastidial NADH dehydrogenase (Ndh) complex supports nonphotochemical electron fluxes from stromal electron donors to plastoquinones. Ndh functions in chloroplasts are not clearly established; however, its activity was linked to the prevention of the overreduction of stroma, especially under stress conditions. Here, we show by the characterization of Orr(Ds), a dominant tr...