QTL analysis for ascorbic acid content in strawberry fruit reveals a complex genetic architecture and association with GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase.

Strawberry ( × ) fruits are an excellent source of -ascorbic acid (AsA), a powerful antioxidant for plants and humans. Identifying the genetic components underlying AsA accumulation is crucial for enhancing strawberry nutritional quality. Here, we unravel the genetic architecture of AsA accumulation using an F population derived from parental lines 'Candonga' and 'Senga Sengana', adapted to distinct Southern and Northern European areas.

Down-regulation of Fra a 1.02 in strawberry fruits causes transcriptomic and metabolic changes compatible with an altered defense response.

The strawberry Fra a 1 proteins belong to the class 10 Pathogenesis-Related (PR-10) superfamily. In strawberry, a large number of members have been identified, but only a limited number is expressed in the fruits. In this organ, Fra a 1.

Semirational design and engineering of grapevine glucosyltransferases for enhanced activity and modified product selectivity.

Uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the transfer of a diversity of sugars to several acceptor molecules and often exhibit distinct substrate specificity. Modulation of glycosyltransferases for increased catalytic activity and altered substrate or product specificity are the key manipulations for the biotechnological use of glycosyltransferases in various biosynthetic processes. Here, we have engineered the binding pocket of three previously characterized Vitis vinifera glycosyltransferases, UGT88F12, UGT72B27 and UGT92G6, by structure-guided in silico mutagenesis to facilitate the interactions of active site residues with flavonol glucosides and thus modify substrate specificity and activity.

Correction to: Answering biological questions by analysis of the strawberry metabolome.

The article Answering biological questions by analysis of the strawberry metabolome, written by Annika Haugeneder, Johanna Trinkl, Katja Härtl, Thomas Hoffman, James William Allwood and Wilfred Schwab, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 26 OCtober, 2018 without open access. After publication in volume 14. Issue 11, Citation Id 145, with the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 20 December, 2018 to © The Author(s) [Year] and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.

Answering biological questions by analysis of the strawberry metabolome.

Background: The qualitative and quantitative analysis of all low molecular weight metabolites within a biological sample, known as the metabolome, provides powerful insights into their roles in biological systems and processes. The study of all the chemical structures, concentrations, and interactions of the thousands of metabolites is called metabolomics. However present state of the art methods and equipment can only analyse a small portion of the numerous, structurally diverse groups of chemical substances found in biological samples, especially with respect to samples of plant origin with their huge diversity of secondary metabolites.