ABA-deficiency and molecular mechanisms involved in the dehydration response and ripening of citrus fruit

Abstract

The aim of this work has been to unravel the influence of the phytohormone ABA in the molecular mechanisms underlying the postharvest dehydration response and the development and ripening of citrus fruit, taking advantage of the spontaneous fruit-specific ABA-deficient 'Pinalate' mutant, which is more prone to dehydration and to develop non-chilling peel pitting (NCPP) than its wild-type 'Navelate' orange. A comparative transcriptomic analysis highlighted the ability of parental fruit to induce early molecular responses aimed to reduce water loss and its detrimental effects. ABA application to mutant fruit modulated relevant transcriptomic changes but did not substantially modify either dehydration rate or NCPP incidence, which suggested that 'Pinalate' mutant could be insensitive to ABA. Therefore, the ABA perception system components in Citrus were identified and their regulation under developmental and stressful conditions was investigated. Minor differences between varieties were found in the CsPYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors and the CsSnRK2s downstream protein kinases transcript levels, whereas CsPP2CAs negative regulators accumulation was lower in the mutant fruit. ABA receptors and CsSnRK2s gene expression patterns depended on the tissue, the stress severity and the source of the ABA signal from a developmental or stressful stimulus, whilst CsPP2CAs displayed a consistent pattern. Overall, this work suggest that the ABA-deficient 'Pinalate' fruit may sense ABA although the hormone signal could be impaired because reduced CsPP2CAs levels causing altered water stress response and higher NCPP susceptibility.