www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

Based on their ripening patterns and physiological differences, fruits can
be categorized as climacteric or non-climacteric, January 2006.

The first class encompasses fruits which have a well-characterized peak of
the hormone ethylene during the onset of ripening, and includes fruits such
as tomatoes, apples, and bananas. The second class, on the other hand,
includes species such as citrus, strawberries, grapes, and other fruits
whose ripening processes are not well understood.

The ripening process is important to food supply, nutrition, and health, and
controlling it may allow fruits to be transported without worry that they
will be bruised or damaged. How this process occurs in grape is explored in
?Grapes on Steroids. Brassinosteroids Are Involved in Grape Berry Ripening,?
an article by Gregory M. Symons, of the University of Tasmania, and
colleagues. Their work is published in the latest issue of Plant Physiology.

By isolating the genes coding for steroidal hormones known as
brassinosteroids (BRs), and the receptors for their gene products,
researchers confirmed that the grape brassinosteroid-6-oxidase gene is
involved in the grape ripening process. They also found that applying BRs to
grape berries (cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) significantly promoted ripening,
while brassinazole, an inhibitor of BR biosynthesis, significantly delayed
fruit ripening.

Previous research has shown that BRs are essential for normal plant growth
and development, but they have not hitherto been found to be involved in
ripening. The new findings can aid scientists in their work on improving
grapes, and can likewise allow researchers a deeper understanding of how
ripening can be controlled in other important non-climacteric fruits.

Subscribers to Plant Physiology can read the article at:
[www.plantphysiol.org]

Other readers may take a look at the abstract at:
[www.plantphysiol.org]

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