ANATOMIC, GENETIC AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF A WHITE-FRUIT DUCHESNEA INDICA (ROSACEAE).

MARIO ALBERTO DEBES; MARTA EUGENIA ARIAS; CARLOS FROILÁN GRELLET-BOURNONVILLE; ARTURO FEDERICO WULFF; ATILIO PEDRO CASTAGNARO; JUAN CARLOS DÍAZ-RICCI

ANNALS OF BOTANY

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Leicester, UK; Año: 2009

0305-7364

Background and Aims. In this paper the discovery of a white-fruit Duchesnea indica growing in low highland forests of Tucumán (Argentina) is reported. The latter strongly resembles to the Duchesnea indica fo. albocaput described as an endemic species in Japan. The botanical characterization of a new white-fruits D. indica in regard to the D. indica with red fruits, the compatibilities relations between them and know the colourless fruits reason, are the principal focus in this work. Methods. Morphological, anatomical and cytological studies in both D. indica was carried out; the achenes hybrids obtained by intraspecific cross, were germinated by analized the colour-fruit character in offspring. Genes encoding for central enzyme of anthocyanin pathway, such as CHALCONE SYNTHASE (CHS), CHALCONE ISOMERASE (CHI), FLAVONONE-3-HYDROXYLASE (F3H), DIHYDROFLAVONOL 4-REDUCTASE (DFR) and ANTHOCYANIDIN SYNTHASE (ANS), were analized. For this anlysis, fruits from different strawberries species: Fragaria x ananassa, Fragaria vesca, Duchesnea chrysantha fo. leucocephala, red-fruit Duchesnea indica and white-fruit D. indica were used.  Key Results. Few morphological and anatomical variations in both D. indica were found. The pre-zigotic analysis showing a complete compatibility in all cases (in cross-pollinated and self-pollinated flowers), however, intraspecific cross successful and unsuccessful were obtained. Differents patterns of colour fruit were show in hybrids. Significative differences in levels of ANS expression was found. Conclusions. In this work, we present evidence that the white-fruit character is inherited as a stable genetic marker and that the colourless fruit is due to the impairment of the ANS gene involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway.