title: Citrus phenylpropanoids and defence against pathogens. Part II: gene expression and metabolite accumulation in the response of fruits to Penicillium digitatum infection.
abstract: The effect of infection of Citrus sinensis (var. Navelina) fruits with Penicillium digitatum was studied at gene expression and metabolite levels. In this study, expression of genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway was studied in the flavedo (outer coloured part of the peel) and albedo (inner white part) in response to pathogen infection. Results of the time-course experiment showed that maximal expression of 10 out of 17 phenylpropanoid genes analysed occurred at 48h post-inoculation, when decay symptoms started to appear, and mRNA levels either kept constant or decreased after 72h post-inoculation. To further investigate the putative involvement of the phenylpropanoid pathway in the defence of citrus fruit, changes in the metabolic profile of both tissues infected with P. digitatum was studied by means of HPLC-PDA-FD. Metabolite accumulation levels along the time course suggest that flavanones, flavones, polymethoxylated flavones and scoparone are induced in citrus fruit in response to P. digitatum infection, although with different trends depending on the tissue.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana-Rosa
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ballester
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teresa Lafuente
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Candelas
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002957:Citrus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D010407:Penicillium / Q000502:physiology*; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D010940:Plant Proteins