Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening

Graham B. Seymour is Professor of Plant Biotechnology and Head of the Plant and Crop Science Division at The University of Nottingham, UK.Mervin Poole is Section Manager at Campden BRI - the UK's largest independent membership-based organization carrying out research and development for the food and drinks industry worldwide.James J. Giovannoni is a Research Molecular Biologist for the United States Department of Agriculture,  Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Adjunct Professor of Plant Biology at Cornell University, USA.Gregory A. Tucker is Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Associate Dean (Science) at The University of Nottingham, UK.

• ContentsList of Contributors ixPreface xiChapter 1 Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening 1Sonia Osorio and Alisdair R. FernieIntroduction 1Central Carbon Metabolism 4Ethylene in Ripening 7Polyamines 9Volatiles 10Cell Wall Metabolism 11Concluding Remarks 13References 13Chapter 2 Fruit—An Angiosperm Innovation 21Sandra Knapp and Amy LittIntroduction 21Fruit in the Fossil Record 30Fruit Variation and Angiosperm Phylogeny 32Fruit Development 33Fruit as a Driver of Angiosperm Diversity 36Acknowledgments 38References 38Chapter 3 Ethylene and the Control of Fruit Ripening 43Don GriersonIntroduction 43Ethylene and Climacteric and Nonclimacteric Fruits 46A Molecular Explanation for System-1 and System-2 Ethylene 48Ethylene and Ripening Gene Networks in Flower and Fruit Development 53Ethylene Perception and Signaling 54Ethylene Response Factors 60Ethylene and Ripening Gene Expression 60Conclusions 67Acknowledgments 68References 68Chapter 4 Carotenoid Biosynthesis and Chlorophyll Degradation 75Peter M. BramleyIntroduction 75Distribution of Carotenoids and Chlorophylls in Fruit 75Chlorophyll Degradation and Recycling 78Carotenoids and Carotenoid Metabolites 82Future Perspectives 100Acknowledgments 102Bibliography 102Chapter 5 Phenylpropanoid Metabolism and Biosynthesis of Anthocyanins 117Laura JaakolaIntroduction 117Cinnamic Acids 119Monolignols, Lignans, and Lignin 120Coumarins 120Stilbenoids 122Flavonoids 122Engineering Elevated Levels of Flavonoids and Other Phenylpropanoids 128Conclusion 129References 129Chapter 6 Biosynthesis of Volatile Compounds 135Antonio Granell and Jose Luis RamblaIntroduction 135Metabolic Pathways 136Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Volatiles 152Metabolic Engineering of the Fruit Volatile Pathways 153Future Perspectives 154References 155Chapter 7 Cell Wall Architecture and Metabolism in Ripening Fruit and the Complex Relationship with Softening 163Eliel Ruiz-May and Jocelyn K.C. RoseIntroduction 163Building Blocks of Fruit Cell Walls 164The Architecture of Fruit Cell Walls 168Cell Wall Dynamics in Ripening Fruit 171The Cuticular Cell Wall and Fruit Softening 177Summary 179Acknowledgments 180References 180Chapter 8 Regulatory Networks Controlling Ripening 189Betsy Ampopho, Natalie Chapman, Graham B. Seymour, and James J. GiovannoniHormonal Control 189Genetic Networks 191Epigenetic Regulation 200References 201Index 207