Ripening and Genotype Control Stilbene Accumulation in Healthy Grapes

Abstract

In grapes, stilbene synthesis occurs in the skin, and it is induced by biotic and abiotic stresses. To date, experimental evidence of a constitutive production of resveratrols in healthy grape is scarce and not conclusive. The aim of the present work was to investigate stilbene biosynthesis in healthy grapes both at biochemical and molecular levels. By measuring the concentration of resveratrols in ripe berries of 78 Vitis vinifera varieties for 3 years, we could identify significant differences among genotypes, providing the first tentative varietal classification based on resveratrol content. Furthermore, an increasing stilbene accumulation from veraison to ripening phase was also observed. Using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and a berry-specific cDNA array, gene expression analysis was carried out on two distinct pools of berries belonging to the high and low resveratrol producers and on three berry developmental stages. The stilbene synthase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase expression profiles showed an increasing concentration of these transcripts from véraison to maturity and a higher accumulation in the grape of high resveratrol producers. Macroarray data analysis revealed that high resveratrol levels are also accompanied by the up-regulation of genes involved in plant defense and the concomitant underexpression of genes related to the ripening process and to indole alkaloid synthesis.

Effects of Ultraviolet C Irradiation on Stilbene Biosynthesis in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon Berry Skins and Calli

“…The stilbene content in grape berries depends on the grape cultivar (Douillet-Breuil et al, 1999;Li et al, 2006;Guerrero et al, 2010), and stilbene biosynthesis is related to the stage of development (Versari et al 2001;Fornara et al, 2008). Our results show that the stilbene content in berry skins increased from véraison to the ripening stage, in agreement with the findings of Gatto et al (2008) and Dai et al (2012). The total phenolic content (Fig.…”

Comparative Polyphenolic Content of Grape Pomace Flours from ‘Fetească neagră’ and ‘Italian Riesling’ Cultivars

“…Previous studies stated that in grape berries, stilbenes are considered to be located essentially in the skin (Gatto et al, 2008;Wang et al, 2010). According to Sun et al (2006) and Wang et al (2010) some stilbenes were also reported in the seeds in lower concentrations.…”

Skin Browning and Expression of PPO, STS, and CHS Genes in the Grape Berries of ‘Shine Muscat’

“…The abbreviations and serial number correspond with the motif position in Figure 5. (Gatto et al, 2008;Jeandet et al, 1991). Flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation are controlled by many endogenous and/or exogenous factors, such as phytohormones, water stresses, temperature stresses, and light conditions (Braidot et al, 2008).…”