title: Expression Profiles and DNA-Binding Affinity of Five ERF Genes in Bunches ofVitis viniferacv. Cardinal Treated with High Levels of CO2at Low Temperature.
abstract: Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play an important role in plants by regulating defense response through interaction with various stress pathways. After harvest, table grapes (Vitis viniferaL.) are subject to a range of problems associated with postharvest storage at 0°C, such as fungal attack, water loss and rachis browning. The application of a 3-day high CO2treatment maintained fruit quality and activated the induction of transcription factors belonging to different families such as ERF. In this paper, we have isolated fiveVviERFsfrom table grapes cv. Cardinal, whose deduced amino acid sequence contained the conserved apetalous (AP2)/ERF domain. The phylogeny and putative conserved motifs in VviERFs were analyzed and compared with those previously reported inVitis.VviERFs-cgene expression was studied by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in the different tissues of bunches stored at low temperature and treated with high levels of CO2. The results showed that in most of the tissues analyzed,VviERFs-cgene expression was induced by the storage under normal atmosphere although the application of high levels of CO2caused a greater increase in theVviERFs-ctranscript accumulation. The promoter regions of two PRs (pathogenesis related proteins),Vcchit1bandVcgns1, were obtained and thein silicoanalysis revealed the presence of acis-acting ethylene response element (GCC box). In addition, expression of these two PR genes was analyzed in the pulp and rachis of CO2-treated and non-treated table grapes stored at 0°C and results showed significant correlations withVviERF2-candVviERF6L7-cgene expression in rachis, and betweenVviERF11-candVcchit1bin pulp. Finally by using electro mobility shift assays, we denoted differences in binding of VviERFs to the GCC sequences present in the promoters of both PRs, with VviERF6L7-c being the only member which did not bind to any tested probe. Overall, our results suggest that the beneficial effect of high CO2treatment maintaining table grape quality seems to be mediated by the regulation ofERFsand in particularVviERF2-cmight play an important role by modulating the expression of PR genes.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vazquez-Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Escribano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merodio
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos y Nutrición, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Ballesta
keywords: ERF; Vitis vinifera; carbon dioxide; low temperature; transcription factors