374 Evidence that α-farnesene Biosynthesis during Fruit Ripening is Involved in Ethylene-regulated Gene Expression
in HortScienceIn `Delicious' and `Granny Smith' apples, fruit did not produce α-farnesene until internal ethylene reached about 1 μL•L-1. The correlation between internal ethylene and α-farnesene production was highly significant (r2 = 0.71 and 0.76, respectively) and fitted the exponential growth equation. Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) inhibited both internal ethylene and α-farnesene production, while ethephon stimulated them. When applied to discs from preclimacteric fruit peel, cycloheximide and actinomycin D inhibited ethylene and α-farnesene production. In discs from AVG-treated fruit, ethephon induced α-farnesene synthesis. Cycloheximide, actinomycin D, and silver ion counteracted the stimulation effect of ethephon. When added to discs from preclimacteric fruit peel or AVG-treated fruit peel, hydroxymethylglutarc acid, mevalonic acid lactone, and farnesyl pyrophosphate induced α-farnesene synthesis, which was not affected by cycloheximide or actinomycin D.
