De novo sequencing and analysis of the transcriptome of two highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Legacy’ at harvest and following post-harvest storage

Abstract

Fruit firmness and in particular the individual components of texture and moisture loss, are considered the key quality traits when describing blueberry fruit quality, and whilst these traits are genetically regulated, the mechanisms governing their control are not clearly understood. In this investigation, RNAseq was performed on fruits of two blueberry cultivars with very different storage properties, ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Legacy’, at harvest, three weeks storage in a non-modified environment at 4 °C and after three weeks storage at 4 °C followed by three days at 21 °C, with the aim of understanding the transcriptional changes that occur during storage in cultivars with very different post-harvest fruit quality. De novo assemblies of the transcriptomes of the two cultivars were performed separately and a total of 39,335 and 41,896 unigenes for ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Legacy’ respectively were resolved. Differential gene expression analyses were grouped into four cluster profiles based on changes in transcript abundance between harvest and 24 days post-harvest. A total of 290 unigenes were up-regulated in ‘Legacy’ only, 685 were up-regulated in ‘Bluecrop’, 252 were up-regulated in both cultivars and 948 were down-regulated in both cultivars between harvest and 24 days post-harvest. Unigenes showing significant differential expression between harvest and following post-harvest cold-storage were grouped into classes of biological processes including stress responses, cell wall metabolism, wax metabolism, calcium metabolism, cellular components, and biological processes. In total 21 differentially expressed unigenes with a putative role in regulating the response to post-harvest cold-storage in the two cultivars were identified from the de novo transcriptome assemblies performed. The results presented provide a stable foundation from which to perform further analyses with which to functionally validate the candidate genes identified, and to begin to understand the genetic mechanisms controlling changes in firmness in blueberry fruits post-harvest.

Multifaceted analyses reveal carbohydrate metabolism mainly affecting the quality of postharvest bamboo shoots

“…Exogenous fructose treatment on Lei bamboo shoots could effectively reduce the lignification and prolong the shelf life by regulating the enzymes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism ( Zhou et al, 2020 ). A large number of DEGs enriched in carbohydrate metabolism such as starch, cellulose and pectin were found in blueberry and African Pride ( Annona cherimola × A. squamosa ) during storage ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Cárcamo de la Concepción et al, 2021 ). In the similar way, the changing pattern of the synthesis-related DEGs in non-structural sugar metabolism was characterized by a decreasing expression and those hydrolysis-related DEGs had an increasing expression along with the physiological changes in this study.…”

Postharvest High-CO2 Treatments on the Quality of Soft Fruit Berries: An Integrated Transcriptomic, Proteomic, and Metabolomic Approach

“…Most RNA-seq studies concerning soft fruit berries have been performed to characterize developmental and ripening processes. With regard to postharvest, recently, a de novo RNA-seq analysis was performed on blueberries with the purpose of characterizing the response of these fruits to cold storage . The study highlighted the relevance of genes involved in cell wall metabolism, synthesis of wax compounds, and biotic and abiotic stress.…”

“…With regard to postharvest, recently, a de novo RNA-seq analysis was performed on blueberries with the purpose of characterizing the response of these fruits to cold storage. 30 The study highlighted the relevance of genes involved in cell wall metabolism, synthesis of wax compounds, and biotic and abiotic stress. However, no studies on the effect of gaseous treatments have been conducted until now.…”