Proteome dynamics of the developing açaí berry pericarp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.)

Quantitative proteome analysis of four developmental stages of pericarp tissues of the acai berry (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) was performed by the isobaric labeling of peptides with iTRAQ® 4-plex, HILIC pre-fractionation of labeled peptides and high-performance mass spectrometry analysis. This analysis resulted in the identification of 4286 proteins, of which 476 presented differential abundance between the stages. The differential abundance of these proteins was seen to be coordinated with the metabolic demands during cell division, lignification, and cell expansion at developmental stages 1 and 2, as well as phenolic acids accumulation and metabolic changes in the fruit maturation, at developmental stages 3 and 4. The distinct accumulation of anthocyanins observed in the pericarp at developmental stage 4 was correlated with the increase in abundance of some key biosynthetic enzymes, such as leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase, anthocyanidin O-3-glycosyltransferase, and UDP-glycosyltransferase. Here, evidence is...