title: Variation of ascorbic acid concentration in fruits of cultivated and wild apples.
abstract: Ascorbic acid (AsA) content in mature fruits of 457 apple accessions were measured, and a great variation in AsA concentration was detected. Wild fruits showed significantly higher level of AsA than cultivated fruits. Fruit AsA content was positively correlated with malic acid content, but negatively correlated with fruit weight and soluble solid content. Thus, the difference in AsA content between the wild and cultivated fruits could be attributed to an indirect consequence of human selection for larger fruit size, less acidity, and increased sweetness during apple domestication. Additionally, AsA concentration was extremely high in fruit at the juvenile stage, but dramatically decreased at the expanding and mature stages. The expression levels of three genes controlling AsA accumulation, MdGGP1, MdDHAR3-3, and MdNAT7-2, were significantly negatively correlated with AsA contents in fruits, suggesting a feedback regulation mechanism in AsA-related gene expression. Our results could be helpful for future apple breeding.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Sino-African Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Liao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owiti
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02184, USA.
authors.forename: Schuyler S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Korban
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Sino-African Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: yphan@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Yuepeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008293:Malates / Q000032:analysis; D027845:Malus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology; D000069600:Plant Breeding; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D010940:Plant Proteins; C030298:malic acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
keywords: Ascorbic acid; Fruit size; Malic acid; Malus; Soluble solid content