Carbohydrate metabolism in two apple genotypes that differ in malate accumulation

In the apple variety ‘Usterapfel’, there are two known genotypes, which differ in malic acid content. One hundred days after full bloom, low-acid fruit (LA-fruit) contained 125 μmol g−1 dry matter (DW) of malate, while the high-acid genotype (HA-fruit) reached levels up to 627 μmol g−1 DW. There was no difference in the catalytic activity of enzymes involved in malate metabolism, such as PEPcarboxylase, malate dehydrogenase, and NADP malic enzyme. After [14C]glucose incorporation into the excised tissue of either genotype, the organic acid fraction was labeled to approximately the same extent. Furthermore, uptake of [14C]malate was significantly lower in excised tissue of LA-fruit. These findings suggest that low malate content in LA-fruit is the result of a restricted ability to accumulate malate in apple parenchyma cells. The different ability to accumulate malate had a pronounced effect on overall carbon partitioning. However, the rate of respiration and the rate of malate synthesis was similar in both genotypes. In HA-fruit, the glycolytic flux through pyruvate kinase was increased to compensate for the carbon that accumulated in the vacuole as malate. Since malate storage in the LA-fruit was restricted, it was more easily available for gluconeogenesis, and was correlated with a three-times higher activity of PEPcarboxykinase. LA-fruit showed higher concentrations of ATP, which stimulated Glc6P and fructose-6-phosphate formation. The elevated hexosephosphate content led to an enhanced partitioning of carbon into starch (+40%), hemicellulose (+104%), and sucrose (+40%) in more mature fruit. The activation of carbohydrate synthesis resulted in a significant drop in glucose-1-phosphate (Glc1P). To meet the increased demand for Glc1P, the activities of neutral and acid invertase, hexokinase, and phosphoglucomutase were higher in LA-fruit. Glucose was a more versatile substrate for this metabolic route than was fructose. It was also evident that glycolytic flux in apple was dependent on glucose level, and that the reaction catalysed by phosphoglucomutase contributed to the regulation of carbon partitioning between malate and carbohydrate polymers.