Towards improved grape nutrition and defense: The regulation of stilbene metabolism under drought
Authors: Fait Aaron , Cramer Grant , Perl Avichai 
Published: December 2021

The goals of the present research proposal were to elucidate the physiological and molecular basis of the regulation of stilbene metabolism in grape, against the background of (i) grape metabolic network behavior in response to drought and of (ii) varietal diversity. The specific objectives included the study of the physiology of the response of different grape cultivars to continuous WD; the characterization of the differences and commonalities of gene network topology associated with WD in berry skin across varieties; the study of the metabolic response of developing berries to continuous WD with specific attention to the stilbene compounds; the integration analysis of the omics data generated; the study of isolated drought-associated stress factors on the regulation of stilbene biosynthesis in plantaand in vitro. Background to the topic Grape quality has a complex relationship with water input. Regulated water deficit (WD) is known to improve wine grapes by reducing the vine growth (without affecting fruit yield) and boosting sugar content (Keller et al. 2008). On the other hand, irregular rainfall during the summer can lead to drought-associated damage of fruit developmental process and alter fruit metabolism (Downey et al., 2006; Tarara et al., 2008; Chalmers et al., 792). In areas undergoing desertification, WD is associated with high temperatures. This WD/high temperature synergism can limit the areas of grape cultivation and can damage yields and fruit quality. Grapes and wine are the major source of stilbenes in human nutrition, and multiple stilbene-derived compounds, including isomers, polymers and glycosylated forms, have also been characterized in grapes (Jeandet et al., 2002; Halls and Yu, 2008). Heterologous expression of stilbenesynthase (STS) in a variety of plants has led to an enhanced resistance to pathogens, but in others the association has not been proven (Kobayashi et al., 2000; Soleas et al., 1995). Tomato transgenic plants harboring a grape STS had increased levels of resveratrol, ascorbate, and glutathione at the expense of the anthocyanin pathways (Giovinazzo et al. 2005), further emphasizing the intermingled relation among secondary metabolic pathways. Stilbenes are are induced in green and fleshy parts of the berries by biotic and abiotic elicitors (Chong et al., 2009). As is the case for other classes of secondary metabolites, the biosynthesis of stilbenes is not very well understood, but it is known to be under tight spatial and temporal control, which limits the availability of these compounds from plant sources. Only very few studies have attempted to analyze the effects of different environmental components on stilbene accumulation (Jeandet et al., 1995; Martinez-Ortega et al., 2000). Targeted analyses have generally shown higher levels of resveratrol in the grape skin (induced), in seeded varieties, in varieties of wine grapes, and in dark-skinned varieties (Gatto et al., 2008; summarized by Bavaresco et al., 2009). Yet, the effect of the grape variety and the rootstock on stilbene metabolism has not yet been thoroughly investigated (Bavaresco et al., 2009). The study identified a link between vine hydraulic behavior and physiology of stress with the leaf metabolism, which the PIs believe can eventually lead to the modifications identified in the developing berries that interested the polyphenol metabolism and its regulation during development and under stress. Implications are discussed below.