RT Journal Article
T1 Vitamin C content in fruits: Biosynthesis and regulation
A1 Fenech-Torres, Mario
A1 Amaya, Iraida
A1 Valpuesta-Fernández, Victoriano
A1 Botella, Miguel Angel
K1 Vitamina C
AB Throughout evolution, a number of animals including humans have lost the ability tosynthesize ascorbic acid (ascorbate, vitamin C), an essential molecule in the physiologyof animals and plants. In addition to its main role as an antioxidant and cofactor in redoxreactions, recent reports have shown an important role of ascorbate in the activation ofepigenetic mechanisms controlling cell differentiation, dysregulation of which can leadto the development of certain types of cancer. Although fruits and vegetables constitutethe main source of ascorbate in the human diet, rising its content has not been amajor breeding goal, despite the large inter- and intraspecific variation in ascorbatecontent in fruit crops. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest to boost ascorbatecontent, not only to improve fruit quality but also to generate crops with elevatedstress tolerance. Several attempts to increase ascorbate in fruits have achieved fairlygood results but, in some cases, detrimental effects in fruit development also occur,likely due to the interaction between the biosynthesis of ascorbate and componentsof the cell wall. Plants synthesize ascorbate de novo mainly through the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway, the dominant pathway in photosynthetic tissues. Two intermediatesof the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway, GDP-D-mannose and GDP-L-galactose, are alsoprecursors of the non-cellulosic components of the plant cell wall. Therefore, a betterunderstanding of ascorbate biosynthesis and regulation is essential for generation ofimproved fruits without developmental side effects. This is likely to involve a yet unknowntight regulation enabling plant growth and development, without impairing the cell redoxstate modulated by ascorbate pool. In certain fruits and developmental conditions, analternative pathway from D-galacturonate might be also relevant.
PB Frontiers
YR 2019
FD 2019-01-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/37420
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/37420
LA eng
NO Fenech M, Amaya I, Valpuesta V and Botella MA (2019) Vitamin C Content in Fruits: Biosynthesis and Regulation. Front. Plant Sci. 9:2006. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.02006
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 14 mar 2026