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Related Experiment Videos

Ascorbate metabolism in harvested broccoli.

Fumie Nishikawa1, Masaya Kato, Hiroshi Hyodo

  • 1The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Shizuoka University, Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193 Japan. w1611012@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp

Journal of Experimental Botany
|September 27, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Post-harvest broccoli florets rapidly lose vitamin C (ascorbate) as chloroplast gene expression declines, while cytosolic genes remain active. Stress hormones like methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid accelerate this degradation.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Physiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Post-harvest Biology

Background:

  • Ascorbate (vitamin C) is crucial for plant health and stress response.
  • Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) florets are rich in ascorbate, but its post-harvest stability is a concern.
  • Understanding ascorbate metabolism regulation is key to maintaining quality in harvested produce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the changes in gene expression related to ascorbate metabolism in broccoli florets and stems post-harvest.
  • To determine the role of specific enzymes and transcriptional regulation in ascorbate decline.
  • To assess the impact of ethylene, methyl jasmonate (MJ), and abscisic acid (ABA) on ascorbate levels and gene expression.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative analysis of ascorbate content in florets and stems.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measurement of gene expression levels for key enzymes in ascorbate metabolism (APX, AO, GLDH, MDAR, DHAR, GR) using techniques like mRNA analysis.
  • Treatment of broccoli with ethylene, MJ, and ABA to observe effects on ascorbate and gene expression.

    • Main Results:

    • Ascorbate content significantly decreased in broccoli florets but not stems post-harvest.
    • Cytosolic genes involved in ascorbate synthesis and recycling were upregulated in florets.
    • Chloroplastic genes (e.g., BO-sAPX, BO-tbAPX) showed decreased expression, suggesting impaired chloroplast antioxidant systems.
    • MJ and ABA treatments suppressed specific gene expressions and accelerated ascorbate degradation, while ethylene had no significant effect.

    Conclusions:

    • Post-harvest ascorbate decline in broccoli florets is primarily driven by the inactivation of chloroplastic ascorbate metabolism via transcriptional regulation.
    • Cytosolic ascorbate metabolism remains active, but cannot compensate for the loss in chloroplasts.
    • Stress hormones (MJ, ABA) play a role in regulating ascorbate degradation pathways.