TY - JOUR

T1 - Tracking cell wall changes in wine and table grapes undergoing Botrytis cinerea infection using glycan microarrays

AU - Weiller, Florent

AU - Schueckel, Julia

AU - Willats, William G. T.

AU - Driouich, Azeddine

AU - Vivier, Melane A.

AU - Moore, John P.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Background and Aims The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea infects a broad range of fruit crops including domesticated grapevine Vitis vinifera cultivars. Damage caused by this pathogen is severely detrimental to the table and wine grape industries and results in substantial crop losses worldwide. The apoplast and cell wall interface is an important setting where many plant-pathogen interactions take place and where some defence-related messenger molecules are generated. Limited studies have investigated changes in grape cell wall composition upon infection with B. cinerea, with much being inferred from studies on other fruit crops.Methods In this study, comprehensive microarray polymer profiling in combination with monosaccharide compositional analysis was applied for the first time to investigate cell wall compositional changes in the berries of wine (Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and table (Dauphine and Barlinka) grape cultivars during Botrytis infection and tissue maceration. This was used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) to characterize infection progression.Key Results Grapes infected at veraison did not develop visible infection symptoms, whereas grapes inoculated at the post-veraison and ripe stages showed evidence of significant tissue degradation. The latter was characterized by a reduction in signals for pectin epitopes in the berry cell walls, implying the degradation of pectin polymers. The table grape cultivars showed more severe infection symptoms, and corresponding pectin depolymerization, compared with wine grape cultivars. In both grape types, hemicellulose layers were largely unaffected, as was the arabinogalactan protein content, whereas in moderate to severely infected table grape cultivars, evidence of extensin epitope deposition was present.Conclusions Specific changes in the grape cell wall compositional profiles appear to correlate with fungal disease susceptibility. Cell wall factors important in influencing resistance may include pectin methylesterification profiles, as well as extensin reorganization.

AB - Background and Aims The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea infects a broad range of fruit crops including domesticated grapevine Vitis vinifera cultivars. Damage caused by this pathogen is severely detrimental to the table and wine grape industries and results in substantial crop losses worldwide. The apoplast and cell wall interface is an important setting where many plant-pathogen interactions take place and where some defence-related messenger molecules are generated. Limited studies have investigated changes in grape cell wall composition upon infection with B. cinerea, with much being inferred from studies on other fruit crops.Methods In this study, comprehensive microarray polymer profiling in combination with monosaccharide compositional analysis was applied for the first time to investigate cell wall compositional changes in the berries of wine (Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and table (Dauphine and Barlinka) grape cultivars during Botrytis infection and tissue maceration. This was used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) to characterize infection progression.Key Results Grapes infected at veraison did not develop visible infection symptoms, whereas grapes inoculated at the post-veraison and ripe stages showed evidence of significant tissue degradation. The latter was characterized by a reduction in signals for pectin epitopes in the berry cell walls, implying the degradation of pectin polymers. The table grape cultivars showed more severe infection symptoms, and corresponding pectin depolymerization, compared with wine grape cultivars. In both grape types, hemicellulose layers were largely unaffected, as was the arabinogalactan protein content, whereas in moderate to severely infected table grape cultivars, evidence of extensin epitope deposition was present.Conclusions Specific changes in the grape cell wall compositional profiles appear to correlate with fungal disease susceptibility. Cell wall factors important in influencing resistance may include pectin methylesterification profiles, as well as extensin reorganization.

KW - Vitis vinifera

KW - Botrytis cinerea

KW - grey rot

KW - grapes

KW - cell wall

KW - pectin

KW - VITIS-VINIFERA L.

KW - MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

KW - ARABINOGALACTAN-PROTEINS

KW - PLANT

KW - PECTIN

KW - EXPRESSION

KW - GROWTH

KW - SUSCEPTIBILITY

KW - INHIBITORS

KW - CULTIVARS

U2 - 10.1093/aob/mcab086

DO - 10.1093/aob/mcab086

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34192306

VL - 128

SP - 527

EP - 543

JO - Annals of Botany

JF - Annals of Botany

SN - 0305-7364

IS - 5

ER -