Fruit Development and Ripening: Proteomic as an Approach to Study Olea europaea and Other Non-model Organisms

Abstract

Boosted by the development of cutting-edge “omics” technologies, powerful tools have been developed to support traditional fruit crop research. Comparative “omics” studies have been extensively applied to investigate complex biological processes, such as fruit development and ripening, pointing out unique pathways, genes and proteins involved in these processes. Due to the availability of new technologies, reduced experimental costs, and optimized protein extraction protocols for recalcitrant plant tissues, proteomics is rapidly expanding, reaching fruit species regarded as non-model plant systems. Olea europaea can be undoubtedly ranked as a non-model plant species, thus suffering from a dearth of proteomic investigation when compared to other fruit species. In this chapter, we will briefly travel through the proteomic history of olives as an example of a non-model tree crop, characterized by a proteomic investigation still in its infancy but appearing to be promising. We will highlight what has been already done and we will draw the attention of the reader especially on what can be still done.