Abstract
The pivotal role of phytohormones during fruit development and ripening is considered established knowledge in plant biology. Perhaps less well-known is the growing body of evidence suggesting that organic acids play a key function in plant development and, in particular, in fruit development, maturation and ripening. Here, we critically review the connection between organic acids and the development of both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. By analyzing the metabolic content of different fruits during their ontogenetic trajectory, we noticed that the content of organic acids in the early stages of fruit development is directly related to the supply of substrates for respiratory processes. Although different organic acid species can be found during fruit development in general, it appears that citrate and malate play major roles in this process, as they accumulate on a broad range of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. We further highlight the functional significance of changes in organic acid profile in fruits due to either the manipulation of fruit-specific genes or the use of fruit-specific promoters. Despite the complexity behind the fluctuation in organic acid content during fruit development and ripening, we extend our understanding on the importance of organic acids on fruit metabolism and the need to further boost future research. We suggest that engineering organic acid metabolism could improve both qualitative and quantitative traits of crop fruits.
Highlights
True fruits are specialized plant organs found solely in angiosperms, and these unique organs are believed to have evolved to improve seed dispersal and protection (Karlova et al, 2014)
Are the complex organic acid profile changes over the course of fruit development a consequence of the process or do they play an active role in the sequence of events leading to fruit maturation? Here, we provide an overview of the latest discoveries and suggest future directions regarding organic acids metabolism during fruit development and ripening
We first discuss the general roles of organic acids during fruit maturation, we focus on the metabolic behavior of those compounds and their relationship with both sugars and hormones during fruit development
Summary
True fruits are specialized plant organs found solely in angiosperms (i.e., flowering plants), and these unique organs are believed to have evolved to improve seed dispersal and protection (Karlova et al, 2014). Different species including apples, berries, citrus, grape, kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa), peach, pepper, and tomato, present a highly similar metabolic pattern in which higher organic acids concentration are observed in the first stages of fruit development followed by clear reductions in their levels as maturation progresses (Nardozza et al, 2013; Osorio et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2015).
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