NADP-dehydrogenases from pepper fruits: effect of maturation

NADPH is an important molecule in the redox balance of the cell. Pepper fruits are the second worldwide consumable vegetables and exhibit different phenotypes after maturation. In this paper, two pepper cultivars were studied: Vergasa whose fruits shift from green to red after maturation, and Biela that shifts to yellow. Using fresh fruits from the same plants of the two cultivars at distinct maturation stages, the activity and gene expression of the main NADPH-generating dehydrogenases was studied. The activity analysis of the main NADP-dehydrogenases, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH) and NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), showed that, except for the G6PDH, all the activities were enhanced (54-100%) in the mature pepper fruits from both cultivars (red or yellow) with respect to green pepper fruits. The content of NADPH and NADP in the mature fruits of both cultivars showed a noteworthy increase with respect to green fruits. For the transcript analysis, a partial cDNA of each NADP-dehydrogenase was obtained, and the NADP-ME was the only NADP-dehydrogenase that showed a significant induction. The increase in the content of NADPH in mature fruits because of the enhanced activity of NADP-dehydrogenases suggests that these NADPH-generating enzymes could be involved in the maturation of pepper fruits.