Sweet Cherry ( Prunus avium L.) PaPIP1;4 Is a Functional Aquaporin Upregulated by Pre-Harvest Calcium Treatments that Prevent Cracking
Breia, R.; Mósca, A.F.; Conde, A.; Correia, S.; Conde, C.; Noronha, H.; Soveral, Gça.; Gonçalves, B.; Gerós, Hâni.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21(8)
2020
ISSN/ISBN: 1422-0067 PMID: 32344729 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21083017
Accession: 070067640
The involvement of aquaporins in rain-induced sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit cracking is an important research topic with potential agricultural applications. In the present study, we performed the functional characterization of PaPIP1;4, the most expressed aquaporin in sweet cherry fruit. Field experiments focused on the pre-harvest exogenous application to sweet cherry trees, cultivar Skeena, with a solution of 0.5% CaCl2, which is the most common treatment to prevent cracking. Results show that PaPIP1;4 was mostly expressed in the fruit peduncle, but its steady-state transcript levels were higher in fruits from CaCl2-treated plants than in controls. The transient expression of PaPIP1;4-GFP in tobacco epidermal cells and the overexpression of PaPIP1;4 in YSH1172 yeast mutation showed that PaPIP1;4 is a plasma membrane protein able to transport water and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we characterized for the first time a plasma membrane sweet cherry aquaporin able to transport water and H2O2 that is upregulated by the pre-harvest exogenous application of CaCl2 supplements.