Characterization of the Pale Yellow Petal/Xanthophyll Esterase gene family in citrus as candidates for carotenoid esterification in fruits

In orange-pigmented citrus fruits, the xanthophyll esters are the predominant carotenoids, but their biosynthetic origin is currently unknown. In this work, seven PYP/XES (Pale Yellow Petal/ Xanthophyll esterase) genes were identified in Citrus genomes, but only PYP1-4 and 6 contained the structural...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Zacarías-García, Jaime, Lux, Peter E., Carle, R., Schweiggert, R.M., Steingass, C.B., Zacarías, Lorenzo, Rodrigo, María Jesús
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/222022
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/222022
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Carotenoids
Citrus fruit
Coloration
Gene expression
Xanthophyll acyl-transferase
Esterification
Ripening
Sweet orange
Descripción
Sumario:In orange-pigmented citrus fruits, the xanthophyll esters are the predominant carotenoids, but their biosynthetic origin is currently unknown. In this work, seven PYP/XES (Pale Yellow Petal/ Xanthophyll esterase) genes were identified in Citrus genomes, but only PYP1-4 and 6 contained the structural domains essential for activity. The PYP/XES expression profiles in sweet orange and in other Citrus species such as lemon, mandarin and pummelo with marked differences in fruit pigmentation and content of xanthophylls esters, showed the upregulation of PYP1,2 and 6 genes during ripening only in orange-pigmented fruits. Moreover, transcript levels of PYP1, 2 and 6 genes in peel and pulp of sweet orange were accompanied by the accumulation of xanthophyll esters during ripening. This work reports for the first time the PYP/XES gene family in Citrus and strongly suggests its involvement in xanthophyll esterification in citrus fruit tissues and its influence in carotenoid accumulation and fruit pigmentation.