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Grapevine red blotch virus alters grape skin cell-wall composition impacting phenolic extractability during
Arran Rumbaugh1, Cristina Medina-Plaza2, Mysore R Sudarshana3
1United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
|February 2, 2023
Summary
Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) infection alters grape cell walls, leading to reduced phenolic compound extraction during winemaking. This impacts wine quality and winemaking processes.
Area of Science:
- Plant pathology
- Viticulture
- Enology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) causes grapevine red blotch disease, delaying ripening.
- GRBV's impact on grape cell walls and its role in pathogenicity and winemaking are poorly understood.
- Cell wall modifications influence viral interactions and phenolic compound extractability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate GRBV's effect on grape cell-wall metabolism during ripening.
- To determine changes in cell-wall composition, phenolic content, and extractability in infected grapes.
- To understand how GRBV infection impacts winemaking potential.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptome sequencing of 'Merlot' grapes during ripening.
- Analysis of cell-wall composition and phenolic content at two harvest points.
- Measurement of phenolic extractability in wine from infected and healthy grapes.
Main Results:
- GRBV infection induced transcripts related to cell-wall degradation, but without significant changes in overall cell-wall composition.
- Increased pectin and soluble proteins in cell walls of infected grapes were observed, linked to pathogenesis-related proteins.
- Phenolic extractability, specifically flavonols, was significantly reduced in wines made from GRBV-infected grapes.
Conclusions:
- GRBV infection alters grape cell-wall metabolism and composition.
- These alterations negatively affect phenolic compound extractability during winemaking.
- GRBV poses a risk to wine quality by reducing key compound extraction.
