Sweet Cherry (<i>Prunus avium</i> L.) PaPIP1;4 Is a Functional Aquaporin Upregulated by Pre-Harvest Calcium Treatments that Prevent Cracking
The involvement of aquaporins in rain-induced sweet cherry (<i>Prunus avium</i> L.) fruit cracking is an important research topic with potential agricultural applications. In the present study, we performed the functional characterization of PaPIP1;4, the most expressed aquaporin in swee...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/8/3017 |
| Summary: | The involvement of aquaporins in rain-induced sweet cherry (<i>Prunus avium</i> L.) fruit cracking is an important research topic with potential agricultural applications. In the present study, we performed the functional characterization of PaPIP1;4, the most expressed aquaporin in sweet cherry fruit. Field experiments focused on the pre-harvest exogenous application to sweet cherry trees, cultivar Skeena, with a solution of 0.5% CaCl<sub>2</sub>, which is the most common treatment to prevent cracking. Results show that PaPIP1;4 was mostly expressed in the fruit peduncle, but its steady-state transcript levels were higher in fruits from CaCl<sub>2</sub>-treated plants than in controls. The transient expression of PaPIP1;4-GFP in tobacco epidermal cells and the overexpression of PaPIP1;4 in YSH1172 yeast mutation showed that PaPIP1;4 is a plasma membrane protein able to transport water and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we characterized for the first time a plasma membrane sweet cherry aquaporin able to transport water and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> that is upregulated by the pre-harvest exogenous application of CaCl<sub>2</sub> supplements. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |