Aldaulactone - An Original Phytotoxic Secondary Metabolite Involved in the Aggressiveness of Alternaria dauci on Carrot.

Qualitative plant resistance mechanisms and pathogen virulence have been extensively studied since the formulation of the gene-for-gene hypothesis. The mechanisms involved in the quantitative traits of aggressiveness and plant partial resistance are less well-known. Nevertheless, they are prevalent in most plant-necrotrophic pathogen interactions, including the Daucus carota-Alternaria dauci interaction. Phytotoxic metabolite production by the pathogen plays a key role in aggressiveness in these interactions. The aim of the present study was to explore the link between A. dauci aggressiveness and toxin production. We challenged carrot embryogenic cell cultures from a susceptible genotype (H1) and two partially resistant genotypes (I2 and K3) with exudates from A. dauci strains with various aggressiveness levels. Interestingly, A. dauci-resistant carrot genotypes were only affected by exudates from the most aggressive strain in our study (ITA002). Our results highlight a positive link between A. dauci aggressiveness and the fungal exudate cell toxicity. We hypothesize that the fungal exudate toxicity was linked with the amount of toxic compounds produced by the fungus. Interestingly, organic exudate production by the fungus was correlated with aggressiveness. Hence, we further analyzed the fungal organic extract using HPLC, and correlations between the observed peak intensities and fungal aggressiveness were measured. One observed peak was closely correlated with fungal aggressiveness. We succeeded in purifying this peak and NMR analysis revealed that the purified compound was a novel 10-membered benzenediol lactone, a polyketid that we named 'aldaulactone'. We used a new automated image analysis method and found that aldaulactone was toxic to in vitro cultured plant cells at those concentrations. The effects of both aldaulactone and fungal organic extracts were weaker on I2-resistant carrot cells compared to H1 carrot cells. Taken together, our results suggest that: (i) aldaulactone is a new phytotoxin, (ii) there is a relationship between the amount of aldaulactone produced and fungal aggressiveness, and (iii) carrot resistance to A. dauci involves mechanisms of resistance to aldaulactone.

Carotenoid gene expression explains the difference of carotenoid accumulation in carrot root tissues.

Main conclusion Variations in gene expression can partially explain the difference of carotenoid accumulation in secondary phloem and xylem of fleshy carrot roots. The carrot root is well divided into two different tissues separated by vascular cambium: the secondary phloem and xylem. The equilibrium between these two tissues represents an important issue for carrot quality, but the knowledge about the respective carotenoid accumulation is sparse. The aim of this work was (i) to investigate if variation in carotenoid biosynthesis gene expression could explain differences in carotenoid content in phloem and xylem tissues and (ii) to investigate if this regulation is differentially modulated in the respective tissues by water-restricted growing conditions. In this work, five carrot genotypes contrasting by their root color were studied in control and water-restricted conditions. Carotenoid content and the relative expression of 13 genes along the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway were measured in the respective tissues. Results showed that in orange genotypes and the purple one, carotenoid content was higher in phloem compared to xylem. For the red one, no differences were observed. Moreover, in control condition, variations in gene expression explained the different carotenoid accumulations in both tissues, while in water-restricted condition, no clear association between gene expression pattern and variations in carotenoid content could be detected except in orange-rooted genotypes. This work shows that the structural aspect of carrot root is more important for carotenoid accumulation in relation with gene expression levels than the consequences of expression changes upon water restriction.

Differential Pigment Accumulation in Carrot Leaves and Roots during Two Growing Periods.

Carotenoids are important secondary metabolites involved in plant growth and nutritional quality of vegetable crops. These pigments are highly accumulated in carrot root, but knowledge about the impact of environmental factors on their accumulation is limited. The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of environmental variations on carotenoid accumulation in carrot leaves and roots. In this work, carrots were grown during two contrasting periods to maximize bioclimatic differences. In leaves, carotenoid and chlorophyll contents were lower in the less favorable growing conditions, whereas relative contents were well conserved for all genotypes, suggesting a common regulatory mechanism. The down-regulation of all genes under environmental constraints demonstrates that carotenoid accumulation is regulated at the transcriptional level. In roots, the decrease in α-carotene and lutein contents was accompanied by an increase of ß-carotene relative content. At the transcriptional level, LCYB and ZEP expression increased, whereas LCYE expression decreased, in the less favorable conditions, suggesting that carotenoid biosynthesis is switched toward the ß-branch.

Carotenoid content and root color of cultivated carrot: a candidate-gene association study using an original broad unstructured population.

Accumulated in large amounts in carrot, carotenoids are an important product quality attribute and therefore a major breeding trait. However, the knowledge of carotenoid accumulation genetic control in this root vegetable is still limited. In order to identify the genetic variants linked to this character, we performed an association mapping study with a candidate gene approach. We developed an original unstructured population with a broad genetic basis to avoid the pitfall of false positive detection due to population stratification. We genotyped 109 SNPs located in 17 candidate genes ­ mostly carotenoid biosynthesis genes ­ on 380 individuals, and tested the association with carotenoid contents and color components. Total carotenoids and ß-carotene contents were significantly associated with genes zeaxanthin epoxydase (ZEP), phytoene desaturase (PDS) and carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) while α-carotene was associated with CRTISO and plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) genes. Color components were associated most significantly with ZEP. Our results suggest the involvement of the couple PDS/PTOX and ZEP in carotenoid accumulation, as the result of the metabolic and catabolic activities respectively. This study brings new insights in the understanding of the carotenoid pathway in non-photosynthetic organs.

Leucoanthocyanidin reductase and anthocyanidin reductase gene expression and activity in flowers, young berries and skins of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet-Sauvignon during development.

Proanthocyanidins, or condensed tannins, are crucial polyphenolic compounds for grape and wine quality. Recently, significant advances were achieved in understanding the biosynthesis of their main subunits: (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, produced by catalysis of leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) and anthocyanidin reductase (ANR), respectively. Expression studies had been published but no data were available on enzyme activity. In our work, we devised assays to measure LAR and ANR activity and determine their development throughout the growth of flowers, young berries, and skins of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet-Sauvignon. We also investigated the accumulation of compounds in these tissues and focused on the expression of both the structural genes and the transcription factors involved in regulating them: VvMYB5a and VvMYBPA1. Biosynthetic genes were expressed early and LAR and ANR were already active during flowering and at the beginning of berry growth, as well as during colour-change in skins. The profiles we determined correlated with total tannin, catechin, and epicatechin concentrations. The involvement of VvMYB5a and VvMYBPA1 was confirmed and specific expression patterns were also established for VvLAR transcripts.

Role of the AheABC efflux pump in Aeromonas hydrophila intrinsic multidrug resistance.

Gene inactivation and complementation experiments showed that the tripartite AheABC efflux pump of Aeromonas hydrophila extruded at least 13 substrates, including nine antibiotics. The use of phenylalanine-arginine-beta-naphthylamide (PAbetaN) revealed an additional system(s) contributing to intrinsic resistance. This is the first analysis of the role of multidrug efflux systems in Aeromonas spp.

Composition and cellular localization of tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon skins during growth.

For two successive years, cell walls were isolated from the internal part of skin cells of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries grown in a vineyard. Procyanidin localization and composition were determined over the course of development. Tannins were mainly localized in the inner cell fraction, due to their biosynthesis and storage. Cell wall tannins always exhibited a higher mean degree of polymerization as compared to the internal cell fraction, which had a constant mDP. The mDP of cell wall tannins also tended to increase at the end of maturation. Our results suggest tannin polymerization near the cell wall but an aggregation in the vacuole during growth. The tannin composition was typical of skins, and small differences were noted between the two cell parts. Surprisingly, epigallocatechin-3-gallate was also detected, although in a very small amount. Epicatechin was present in significant proportions in both fractions, especially as an extension subunit, while epigallocatechin was likewise abundant, also as a terminal subunit. Last, procyanidin composition and organization seemed to be characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety.