Associations between the α-terpineol synthase gene and α-terpineol content in different grapevine varieties

• Main Authors: Xiaoxu Yang, Yinshan Guo, Junchi Zhu, Na Ma, Ting Sun, Zhendong Liu, Kun Li, Xiuwu Guo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-11-01
• Series: Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment
• Subjects: GC-MS; Vitis vinifera L.; α-terpineol; genetic breeding
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2017.1364978
• ISSN: 1310-2818; 1314-3530

α-Terpineol is one of the main monoterpenes found in the grape berry (Vitis vinifera L.) with its concentrations varying in different varieties. The present study was conducted to identify associations between the α-terpineol synthase (α-TPS) gene, a regulator of α-terpineol metabolism, and α-terpineol content in different grapevine varieties. We used a core collection of 61 grape accessions to identify causal single nucleotide polymorphisms in α-TPS, and evaluated the α-terpineol content in two consecutive years (2014 and 2015). Twenty SNPs were detected in the α-TPS coding region and were used in an association analysis. We found that the α-terpineol levels were higher in the varieties with a T/G genotype at S133 than in the varieties with other genotypes at this site. Additionally, we found S1556 (C/T) with a functional effect on α-terpineol content related to the regulation of gene transcription. This study suggests a relationship between α-TPS and α-terpineol content, with the identified polymorphism sites potentially assisting in the molecular breeding of grapevines.