Integrative analysis of gene families involved in aromatic terpene biosynthesis in grapevine – InteGrape

Complementary approaches will be used to analyse the impact TPS and P450 genes diversity on grape berry and wine aromas.
- TPS and P450 genes families will be analysed in details in the grapevine reference genome, and compared in a selection of grapevine varieties and in Vitis sylvestris, the wild ancestor of cultivated grapevine.
- Aroma compounds in grape berries and wines will be analysed using gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.
- TPS and P450 genes potentially involved in the biosynthesis of aroma compounds will be selected based on their expression profiles. The function of the selected genes will be characterized using a combination of in vitro and in planta approaches.
- The evolution of TPS and P450 gene families will be analysed in order to decipher the mechanisms, which have led to their amplification. Comparison of TPS and P450 gene families in Vitis sylvestris and cultivated grapevine will be used to evaluate a possible directed evolution of aroma metabolism following domestication.

The results obtained will be made public as soon as the corresponding articles have been published

This project will allow us to address the following questions:
- Which are the key genes, which modulate the aromatic properties of grape berries and wines?
- Which evolutionary mechanisms led to the expansion of the TPS and P450 gene families in grapevine?
- What is the impact of the expansion of TPS and P450 gene families on the production and diversification of grape berry aromas?
- Did the domestication of grapevine lead to targeted/directed evolution of aroma metabolism?
The results of this research will find direct applications to preserve the aromatic qualities of existing grapevine varieties in a changing environment, and to ensure the best quality of new vine varieties in current breeding programs.

The results obtained will be made public as soon as the corresponding articles have been published

The richness of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) metabolism and its potential for giving rise to an exceptional diversity of flavor compounds contribute greatly to the aromatic complexity of wine. Indeed, analysis of the grapevine reference genome has shown a remarkable expansion of several gene families linked to secondary metabolism, compared to other plants. A striking example of gene family expansion is the terpene synthase (TPS) family that generates aromatic molecules constituting major contributors to wine flavors. Grapevine exhibits the largest TPS family of all plant species for which a genome sequence is available. Interestingly, the expansion of the TPS family in grapevine has been accompanied by a parallel blooming of some cytochrome P450 subfamilies, in particular those recently shown to be involved in the oxidation of monoterpenols. Taking advantage of the availability of several wild and cultivated Vitis genome sequences, the InteGrape project proposes to combine genomic, genetic, evolutionary and functional genomics approaches to investigate jointly the TPS and P450 genes families. This integrated approach will allow us to decipher the evolutionary mechanisms that led to the expansion of these families, to assess the impact of this expansion on the production and diversification of grape berry aroma and to evaluate the potential impact of domestication on the genes involved in grapevine aroma metabolism.