WHITE-FRUITED DUCHESNEA INDICA (ROSACEAE) IS IMPAIRED IN ANS GENE EXPRESSION

MARIO A. DEBES; MARTA E. ARIAS ; CARLOS F. GRELLET-BOURNONVILLE ; ARTURO F. WULFF ; MARTÍN G. MARTÍNEZ-ZAMORA; ATILIO P. CASTAGNARO; JUAN C. DÍAZ-RICCI

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY

BOTANICAL SOC AMER INC

Lugar: St. Louis; Año: 2011 vol. 98 p. 2077 - 2083

0002-9122

Premise of the study: Duchesnea indica is a wild strawberry-like species that has red fruits. In a recent survey in the highlandsof Tucum á n (Argentina), a plant of D. indica with white fruits was discovered. The aim of this study was to investigate whetherthe white-fruited character was due to a phenotypic or genotypic change. The stability and heritability of the character and theexpression of genes involved in anthocyanins synthesis were studied and compared with red-fruited genotypes. This studycontributes to understanding the molecular basis of some factors involved in fruit pigmentation, a horticulturally and taxonomicallyimportant trait. ? Methods: Stability and heritability of the white-fruited character were evaluated in plants obtained by asexual propagation orby sexual crosses between the white- and red-fruited genotypes. Asexual multiplications were carried out by stolon rooting andsexual multiplications by germination of achenes obtained from crosses. The expression level of the genes involved in thesynthesis and regulation of the anthocyanins pathway ( CHS , F3H , DFR , ANS , and MYB10 ) were evaluated by RT-PCR usingspecifi c primers. ? Key results: Plants with the white-fruited character always yielded white-fruited progeny when propagated asexually, whereasin sexually propagated plants fruit color depended on the mother. Red-fruited mothers yielded red-fruited progeny, and whitefruitedmothers yielded fruits ranging from dark pink to white. Molecular analysis suggested that the white-fruited characterwas due to the low expression of the ANS gene. ? Conclusions: Results obtained indicate that the white-fruited character was stable. Mother progenitors exert a strong infl uenceon the expression of the white-fruited character. The white-fruited phenotype is due to the impairment or downregulation of theANS gene.