Yu-Xin Yao

The cold-induced basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor gene MdCIbHLH1 encodes an ICE-like protein in apple

BackgroundPlant growth is greatly affected by low temperatures, and the expression of a number of genes is induced by cold stress. Although many genes in the cold signaling pathway have been identified in Arabidopsis, little is known about the transcription factors involved in the cold stress response in apple.ResultsHere, we show that the apple bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) gene MdCIbHLH1 (Cold-Induced bHLH1), which encodes an ICE-like protein, was noticeably induced in response to cold stress. The MdCIbHLH1 protein specifically bound to the MYC recognition sequences in the AtCBF3 promoter, and MdCIbHLH1 overexpression enhanced cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. In addition, the MdCIbHLH1 protein bound to the promoters of MdCBF2 and favorably contributed to cold tolerance in transgenic apple plants by upregulating the expression of MdCBF2 through the CBF (C-repeat-binding factor) pathway. Our findings indicate that MdCIbHLH1 functions in stress tolerance in different species. For example, ectopic MdCIbHLH1 expression conferred enhanced chilling tolerance in transgenic tobacco. Finally, we observed that cold induces the degradation of the MdCIbHLH1 protein in apple and that this degradation was potentially mediated by ubiquitination and sumoylation.ConclusionsBased on these findings, MdCIbHLH1 encodes a transcription factor that is important for the cold tolerance response in apple.

Isolation and characterization of an apple cytosolic malate dehydrogenase gene reveal its function in malate synthesis.

Cytosolic NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase (cyMDH) is an enzyme crucial for malate synthesis in the cytosol. The apple MdcyMDH gene (GenBank Accession No. DQ221207) encoding the cyMDH enzyme in apple was cloned and functionally characterized. The protein was subcellularly localized to the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. Based on kinetic parameters, it mainly catalyzes the reaction from oxalacetic acid (OAA) to malate in vitro. The expression level of MdcyMDH was positively correlated with malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity throughout fruit development, but not with malate content, especially in the ripening apple fruit. MdcyMDH overexpression contributed to malate accumulation in the apple callus and tomato. Taken together, our results support the involvement of MdcyMDH directly in malate synthesis and indirectly in malate accumulation through the regulation of genes/enzymes associated with malate degradation and transportation, gluconeogenesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

Polyphenolic Compound and the Degree of Browning in Processing Apple Varieties

Abstract Polyphenolic compound in processing apple ( Malus dornestica Borkh. ) varieties and the relationship between polyphenol content and enzymatic browning were studied to provide reference for raw material selection and processing method optimization. The content of polyphenol compound in 10 processing apple varieties (4 cider and 6 juice varieties) were analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and HPLC. The degree of browning and the activities of polyphenol oxidase were also studied. The content and proportion of the polyphenol varied depending on the variety. Bitter varieties globally showed a higher polyphenol concentration than sweet or acid varieties. Proanthocyanidins, chlorogenic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin were high-concentrated polyphenols in apple fruits. Phloridzin, the unique polyphenol of apple, was abundant in the bitter variety Frequin rouge fruit. Total polyphenols, proanthocyanidins, (+)-catechin, and phloridzin had higher correlations with browning. The correlation was low between chlorogenic acid and browning. The polyphenolic profiles were correlated with the apple types. Cider apples contained more polyphenol than juice apple varieties. The content of flavan-3-01 has a close relationship with fruit browning.

The enhancement of tolerance to salt and cold stresses by modifying the redox state and salicylic acid content via the cytosolic malate dehydrogenase gene in transgenic apple plants

Summary In this study, we characterized the role of an apple cytosolic malate dehydrogenase gene (MdcyMDH) in the tolerance to salt and cold stresses and investigated its regulation mechanism in stress tolerance. The MdcyMDH transcript was induced by mild cold and salt treatments, and MdcyMDH‐overexpressing apple plants possessed improved cold and salt tolerance compared to wild‐type (WT) plants. A digital gene expression tag profiling analysis revealed that MdcyMDH overexpression largely altered some biological processes, including hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, citrate cycle and oxidation–reduction. Further experiments verified that MdcyMDH overexpression modified the mitochondrial and chloroplast metabolisms and elevated the level of reducing power, primarily caused by increased ascorbate and glutathione, as well as the increased ratios of ascorbate/dehydroascorbate and glutathione/glutathione disulphide, under normal and especially stress conditions. Concurrently, the transgenic plants produced a high H2O2 content, but a low O2·− production rate was observed compared to the WT plants. On the other hand, the transgenic plants accumulated more free and total salicylic acid (SA) than the WT plants under normal and stress conditions. Taken together, MdcyMDH conferred the transgenic apple plants a higher stress tolerance by producing more reductive redox states and increasing the SA level; MdcyMDH could serve as a target gene to genetically engineer salt‐ and cold‐tolerant trees.

Overexpression of MdbHLH104 gene enhances the tolerance to iron deficiency in apple.

Summary Fe deficiency is a widespread nutritional disorder in plants. The basic helix‐loop‐helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs), especially Ib subgroup bHLH TFs which are involved in iron uptake, have been identified. In this study, an IVc subgroup bHLH TF MdbHLH104 was identified and characterized as a key component in the response to Fe deficiency in apple. The overexpression of the MdbHLH104 gene noticeably increased the H+‐ATPase activity under iron limitation conditions and the tolerance to Fe deficiency in transgenic apple plants and calli. Further investigation showed that MdbHLH104 proteins bonded directly to the promoter of the MdAHA8 gene, thereby positively regulating its expression, the plasma membrane (PM) H+‐ATPase activity and Fe uptake. Similarly, MdbHLH104 directly modulated the expression of three Fe‐responsive bHLH genes, MdbHLH38, MdbHLH39 and MdPYE. In addition, MdbHLH104 interacted with 5 other IVc subgroup bHLH proteins to coregulate the expression of the MdAHA8 gene, the activity of PM H+‐ATPase and the content of Fe in apple calli. Therefore, MdbHLH104 acts together with other apple bHLH TFs to regulate Fe uptake by modulating the expression of the MdAHA8 gene and the activity of PM H+‐ATPase in apple.

MdVHA-A encodes an apple subunit A of vacuolar H+-ATPase and enhances drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco seedlings

Vacuole H(+)-ATPases (VHAs) are plant proton pumps, which play a crucial role in plant growth and stress tolerance. In the present study, we demonstrated that the apple vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit A (MdVHA-A) is highly conserved with subunit A of VHA (VHA-A) proteins from other plant species. MdVHA-A was expressed in vegetative and reproductive organs. In apple in vitro shoot cultures, expression was induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated osmotic stress. We further verified that over-expression of MdVHA-A conferred transgenic tobacco seedlings with enhanced vacuole H+-ATPase (VHA) activity and improved drought tolerance. The enhanced PEG-mimic drought response of transgenic tobacco seedlings was related to an extended lateral root system (dependent on auxin translocation) and more efficient osmotic adjustment. Our results indicate that MdVHA-A is a candidate gene for improving drought tolerance in plants.

Functional characterization of the apple MhGAI1 gene through ectopic expression and grafting experiments in tomatoes.

DELLA proteins are essential components of GA signal transduction. MhGAI1 was isolated from the tea crabapple (Malus hupehensis Redh. var. pingyiensis), and it was found to encode a DELLA protein. Mhgai1 is a GA-insensitive allele that was artificially generated via a bridge-PCR approach. Ectopic expression of Mhgai1 reduced plant stature, decreased spontaneous fruit-set-ratio and enhanced drought-tolerance in transgenic tomatoes. In addition, we examined the long-distance movement of Mhgai1 mRNAs by grafting experiments and SqRT-PCR analysis. It was found that the wild-type scions accumulated Mhgai1 transcripts trafficked from the transgenic rootstocks and therefore exhibited dwarf phenotypes. Furthermore, transgenic tomato plants produced more soluble solids, sugars and organic acids compared to wild-type tomatoes, suggesting an involvement of GA signaling in the regulation of fruit quality. Despite noticeable accumulation in the leaves and stems of WT scions, Mhgai1 transcripts were undetectable in flowers and fruit. Therefore, fruit quality was less influenced by the grafting of WT scions onto transgenic rootstocks than they were by the ectopic expression of Mhgai1 in transgenic rootstocks. Taken together, MhGAI1, which functions as a repressor in the GA signaling pathway, and its GA-insensitive allele, Mhgai1, could turn out to be useful targets for the genetic improvement of dwarfing rootstocks in apples.

Ectopic over-expression of two apple Flowering Locus T homologues, MdFT1 and MdFT2, reduces juvenile phase in Arabidopsis

To get insight into mechanism by which apple tree (Malus domestica Borkh.) regulates flowering, two apple flowering locus T (FT) homologues, MdFT1 and MdFT2, were isolated from the leaf cDNAs of cultivar Gala. The open reading frames (ORFs) of two MdFTs encoded 174 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of MdFT1 and MdFT2 showed 94.3 % similarity to each other, while 72.6 and 76.0 % to AtFT protein, respectively. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR indicated their specific expression in leaves. Visualization of MdFT2-GFP fusion protein demonstrated its localization on membrane. Ectopic overexpression of either MdFT1 or MdFT2 in Arabidopsis significantly induced early flowering by activating the downstream flowering-related genes.

Analysis of Genetic Diversity of Processing Apple Varieties

Genetic diversity of 18 processing apple varieties and two fresh varieties were evaluated using 12 simple sequence repeats (SSR) primer pairs previously identified in Malus domestica Borkh. A total of 87 alleles in 10 loci were detected using 10 polymorphic SSR markers selected within the range of 5-14 alleles per locus. All the 20 varieties could be distinguished using two primer pairs and they were divided into four groups using cluster analysis. The genetic similarity (GS) of groups analyzed using cluster analysis varied from 0.14 to 0.83. High acid variety Avrolles separated from other varieties with GS less than 0.42. The second group contained Longfeng and Dolgo from Northeast of China, the inherited genes of Chinese crab apple. The five cider varieties with high tannin contents, namely, Dabinette, Frequin rouge, Kermerrien, M. Menard, and D. Coetligne were clustered into the third group. The fourth group was mainly composed of 12 juice and fresh varieties. Principal coordinate analysis (PCO) also divided all the varieties into four groups. Juice and fresh apple varieties, Longfeng and Dolgo were clustered together, respectively, using both the analyses. Both the analyses showed there was much difference between cider and juice varieties, cider and fresh varieties, as well as Chinese crab apple and western European crab apple, whereas juice varieties and fresh varieties had a similar genetic background. The genetic diversity and differentiation could be sufficiently reflected by combining the two analytical methods.

Functional characterization of an apple apomixis-related MhFIE gene in reproduction development

The products of the FIS genes play important regulatory roles in diverse developmental processes, especially in seed formation after fertilization. In this study, a FIS-class gene MhFIE was isolated from apple. It encoded a predicted protein highly similar to polycomb group (PcG) protein FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE). MhFIE functioned as an Arabidopsis FIE homologue, as indicated by functional complementation experiment using Arabidopsis fie mutant. In addition, BiFC assay showed that MhFIE protein interacted with AtCLF. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis ectopically expressing MhFIE produced less APETALA3 (AtAP3) and AGAMOUS (AtAG) transcripts than WT control, and therefore exhibited abnormal flower, seed development. These results suggested that polycomb complex including FIE and CLF proteins played an important role in reproductive development by regulating the expression of its downstream genes. In addition, it was found that MhFIE constitutively expressed in various tissues tested. Its expression levels were lower in apomictic apple species than the sexual reproductive species, suggested it was possibly involved into apomixis in apple. Furthermore, the hybrids of tea crabapple generated MhFIE transcripts at different levels. The parthenogenesis capacity was negatively correlated with MhFIE expression level in these hybrids. These results suggested that MhFIE was involved into the regulation of flower development and apomixis in apple.