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JXB Advance Access originally published online on July 2, 2009
Journal of Experimental Botany 2009 60(13):3765-3779; doi:10.1093/jxb/erp218
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© 2009 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This paper is available online free of all access charges (see http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/open_access.html for further details)

RESEARCH PAPER

The kiwifruit lycopene beta-cyclase plays a significant role in carotenoid accumulation in fruit

Charles Ampomah-Dwamena1,*, Tony McGhie2, Reginald Wibisono1, Mirco Montefiori1, Roger P. Hellens1 and Andrew C. Allan1

1The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 92 169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
2The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 11 030, Palmerston North, New Zealand

* To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail: cdwamena{at}hortresearch.co.nz

The composition of carotenoids, along with anthocyanins and chlorophyll, accounts for the distinctive range of colour found in the Actinidia (kiwifruit) species. Lutein and beta-carotene are the most abundant carotenoids found during fruit development, with beta-carotene concentration increasing rapidly during fruit maturation and ripening. In addition, the accumulation of beta-carotene and lutein is influenced by the temperature at which harvested fruit are stored. Expression analysis of carotenoid biosynthetic genes among different genotypes and fruit developmental stages identified Actinidia lycopene beta-cyclase (LCY-β) as the gene whose expression pattern appeared to be associated with both total carotenoid and beta-carotene accumulation. Phytoene desaturase (PDS) expression was the least variable among the different genotypes, while zeta carotene desaturase (ZDS), beta-carotene hydroxylase (CRH-β), and epsilon carotene hydroxylase (CRH-{epsilon}) showed some variation in gene expression. The LCY-β gene was functionally tested in bacteria and shown to convert lycopene and delta-carotene to beta-carotene and alpha-carotene respectively. This indicates that the accumulation of beta-carotene, the major carotenoid in these kiwifruit species, appears to be controlled by the level of expression of LCY-β gene.

Key words: Beta-carotene, carotenoid biosynthesis, gene expression, kiwifruit, lycopene beta-cyclase

Received 12 March 2009; Revised 11 May 2009 Accepted 15 June 2009


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