Comparative analysis of surface wax in mature fruits between Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu) and 'Newhall' navel orange (Citrus sinensis) from the perspective of crystal morphology, chemical composition and key gene expression.
Surface wax of mature Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu) and 'Newhall' navel orange (Citrus sinensis) was analysed by crystal morphology, chemical composition, and gene expression levels. The epicuticular and total waxes of both citrus cultivars were mostly composed of aldehydes, alkanes, fatty acids and primary alcohols. The epicuticular wax accounted for 80% of the total wax in the Newhall fruits and was higher than that in the Satsuma fruits. Scanning electron microscopy showed that larger and more wax platelets were deposited on the surface of Newhall fruits than on the Satsuma fruits. Moreover, the expression levels of genes involved in the wax formation were consistent with the biochemical and crystal morphological analyses. These diversities of fruit wax between the two cultivars may contribute to the differences of fruit postharvest storage properties, which can provide important information for the production of synthetic wax for citrus fruits.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Jinqiu
J
Wang
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Haohao
H
Hao
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Runsheng
R
Liu
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Qiaoli
Q
Ma
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Juan
J
Xu
Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States.
Feng
F
Chen
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: yjcheng@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
Yunjiang
Y
Cheng
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology(Ministry of Education), National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Xiuxin
X
Deng
D032084:Citrus sinensis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014885:Waxes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
D010940:Plant Proteins; D014885:Waxes
Citrus fruits; GC–MS; Gene expression; Wax