An Allele of the Ripening-Specific 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid Synthase Gene (ACS1) in Apple Fruit with a Long Storage Life1

Abstract

Abstract An allele of the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase gene (Md-ACS1), the transcript and translated product of which have been identified in ripening apples (Malus domestica), was isolated from a genomic library of the apple cultivar, Golden Delicious. The predicted coding region of this allele (ACS1-2) showed that seven nucleotide substitutions in the corresponding region ofACS1-1 resulted in just one amino acid transition. A 162-bp sequence characterized as a short interspersed repetitive element retrotransposon was inserted in the 5′-flanking region of ACS1-2 corresponding to position −781 in ACS1-1. TheXhoI site located near the 3′ end of the predicted coding region of ACS1-2 was absent from the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction product, revealing that exclusive transcription from ACS1-1occurs during ripening of cv Golden Delicious fruit. DNA gel-blot and polymerase chain reaction analyses of genomic DNAs showed clearly that apple cultivars were either heterozygous forACS1-1 andACS1-2 or homozygous for each type. RNA gel-blot analysis of the ACS1-2homozygous Fuji apple, which produces little ethylene and has a long storage life, demonstrated that the level of transcription fromACS1-2 during the ripening stage was very low.