• Impact of Multiple Ecological Stressors on a Sub-Arctic Ecosystem: No Interaction Between Extreme Winter Warming Events, Nitrogen Addition and Grazing 

      Bokhorst, Stef; Berg, Matty P.; Edvinsen, Guro Kristine; Ellers, Jacintha; Heitman, Amber; Jaakola, Laura; Mæhre, Hanne K; Phoenix, Gareth K.; Tømmervik, Hans; Bjerke, Jarle W. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2018-11-30)
      Climate change is one of many ongoing human-induced environmental changes, but few studies consider interactive effects between multiple anthropogenic disturbances. In coastal sub-arctic heathland, we quantified the impact of a factorial design simulating extreme winter warming (WW) events (7 days at 6–7∘C) combined with episodic summer nitrogen (+N) depositions (5 kg N ha-1) on plant winter physiology, ...
    • Influence of Arctic light conditions on crop production and quality 

      Mølmann, Jørgen A; Dalmannsdottir, Sigridur; Hykkerud, Anne Linn; Hytönen, Timo; Samkumar, Amos; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-04-10)
      The natural light conditions above the Arctic Circle are unique in terms of annual variation creating special growth conditions for crop production. These include low solar elevations, very long daily photosynthetic light periods, midnight sun/absence of dark nights, and altered spectral distribution depending on solar elevation. All these factors are known to affect the growth and the metabolism ...
    • Insights into sugar metabolism during bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit development 

      Samkumar, Amos; Karppinen, Katja; Dhakal, Binita; Martinussen, Inger; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2022-03-03)
      Bilberry fruit is regarded as one of the best natural sources of anthocyanins and iswidely explored for its health-beneficial compounds. Besides anthocyanins, one of themajor attributes that determine the berry quality is the accumulation of sugars thatprovide sweetness and flavor to ripening fruit. In this study, we have identified 25 sugarmetabolism-related genes in bilberry, including invertases ...
    • Light-controlled flavonoid biosynthesis in fruits 

      Zoratti, Laura; Karppinen, Katja; Escobar, Ana Luengo; Häggman, Hely; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2014-10-09)
    • Metabolic and molecular analysis of white mutant Vaccinium berries show down-regulation of MYBPA1-type R2R3 MYB regulatory factor 

      Primetta, Anja; Karppinen, Katja; Riihinen, Kaisu; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2015-07-14)
      Main conclusion MYBPA1-type R2R3 MYB transcription factor shows down-regulation in white mutant berries of Vaccinium uliginosum deficient in anthocyanins but not proanthocyanidins suggesting a role in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. <p>Berries of the genus Vaccinium are among the best natural sources of flavonoids. In this study, the expression of structural and regulatory flavonoid ...
    • Methyl jasmonate: An alternative for improving the quality and health properties of fresh fruits 

      Reyes-Diaz, Marjorie; Lobos, Tomas; Cardemil, Liliana; Nunes-Nesi, Adriano; Retamales, Jorge B..; Jaakola, Laura; Alberdi, Miren; Ribera-Fonseca, Alejandra (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2016-05-31)
      Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is a plant growth regulator belonging to the jasmonate family. It plays an important role as a possible airborne signaling molecule mediating intra- and inter-plant communications and modulating plant defense responses, including antioxidant systems. Most assessments of this compound have dealt with post-harvest fruit applications, demonstrating induced plant resistance ...
    • Modification of sunlight radiation through colored photo-selective nets affects anthocyanin profile in Vaccinium spp. berries 

      Zoratti, Laura; Jaakola, Laura; Häggman, Hely; Giongo, Lara (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2015-08-19)
      <p>Objectives In recent years, the interest on the effects of the specific wavelengths of the light spectrum on growth and metabolism of plants has been increasing markedly. The present study covers the effect of modified sunlight conditions on the accumulation of anthocyanin pigments in two Vaccinium species: the European wild bilberry (V. myrtillus L.) and the cultivated highbush blueberry ...
    • Modulation of defense genes and phenolic compounds in wild blueberry in response to Botrytis cinerea under field conditions 

      Abbey, Joel; Jose, Sherin; Percival, David; Jaakola, Laura; Asiedu, Samuel K. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-02-28)
      Botrytis blight is an important disease of wild blueberry [<i>(Vaccinium angustifolium (Va)</i> and <i>V. myrtilloides (Vm)</i>)] with variable symptoms in the field due to differences in susceptibility among blueberry phenotypes. Representative blueberry plants of varying phenotypes were inoculated with spores of <i> B. cinerea </i>. The relative expression of pathogenesis-related genes (<i>PR3, ...
    • Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of hyp-1 Type PR-10 Family Genes in Hypericum perforatum 

      Karppinen, Katja; Derzso, Emese; Jaakola, Laura; Hohtola, Anja (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2016-04-21)
      Hypericum perforatum L. is an important medicinal plant for the treatment of depression. The plant contains bioactive hypericins that accumulate in dark glands present especially in reproductive parts of the plant. In this study, pathogenesis-related class 10 (PR-10) family genes were identified in H. perforatum, including three previously unidentified members with sequence homology to hyp-1, a ...
    • Monochromatic light increases anthocyanin content during fruit development in bilberry 

      Zoratti, Laura; Sarala, Marian; Carvalho, Elisabete; Karppinen, Katja; Martens, Stefan; Giongo, Lara; Häggman, Hely; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2014)
    • MYBA and MYBPA transcription factors co-regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in blue-coloured berries 

      Karppinen, Katja; Lafferty, Declan J.; Albert, Nick W.; Mikkola, Nelli; McGhie, Tony K.; Allan, Andrew C.; Afzal, Bilal M.; Häggman, Hely; Espley, Richard V.; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-08-05)
      <p>We used blue berries of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) to comprehensively characterise flavonoid-regulating R2R3 MYBs, which revealed a new type of co-regulation in anthocyanin biosynthesis between members of MYBA-, MYBPA1- and MYBPA2-subgroups. <p>VmMYBA1, VmMYBPA1.1 and VmMYBPA2.2 expression was elevated at berry ripening and by abscisic acid treatment. Additionally, VmMYBA1 and VmMYBPA1.1 ...
    • Native Chilean Fruits and the Effects of Their Functional Compounds on Human Health 

      Ulloa-Inostroza, Elizabeth; Ulloa-Inostroza, Eric; Alberdi, Miren; Peña-Sanhueza, Daniela; González-Villagra, Jorge; Jaakola, Laura; Reyes-Diaz, Marjorie (Chapter; Bokkapittel, 2017-03-01)
      In recent years, there has been great interest in the nutraceutical compounds of fruits from native Chilean plant species. In this context, fruits of Amomyrtus meli (Meli), Aristotelia chilensis (Maqui), Berberis microphylla (Calafate), Luma apiculata (Arrayán), Luma chequén (Chequén), and Ugni molinae (Murtilla) growing predominantly in Chilean forests have been studied. This chapter has compiled ...
    • New insights into regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruits 

      Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2013)
      Anthocyanins are important health-promoting pigments that make a major contribution to the quality of fruits. The biosynthetic pathway leading to anthocyanins is well known and the key regulatory genes controlling the pathway have been isolated in many species. Recently, a considerable amount of new information has been gathered on the developmental and environmental regulation of anthocyanin ...
    • On the developmental and environmental regulation of secondary metabolism in Vaccinium spp. berries 

      Karppinen, Katja; Zoratti, Laura; Nguyenquynh, Nga; Häggman, Hely; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2016-05-18)
      Secondary metabolites have important defense and signaling roles, and they contribute to the overall quality of developing and ripening fruits. Blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, and other Vaccinium berries are fleshy berry fruits recognized for the high levels of bioactive compounds, especially anthocyanin pigments. Besides anthocyanins and other products of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid ...
    • Plant defense under Arctic light conditions: Can plants withstand invading pests? 

      Mithöfer, Axel; Riemann, Michael; Faehn, Corine Alexis; Mrazova, Anna; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2022-11-24)
      Global warming is predicted to change the growth conditions for plants and crops in regions at high latitudes (>60° N), including the Arctic. This will be accompanied by alterations in the composition of natural plant and pest communities, as herbivorous arthropods will invade these regions as well. Interactions between previously non-overlapping species may occur and cause new challenges to herbivore ...
    • Potential use of biofungicides and conventional fungicide for the management of Botrytis blossom blight in lowbush blueberries 

      Abbey, Joel A.; Percival, David; Jaakola, Laura; Asiedu, Samuel K. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-02-25)
      Botrytis blight is an economically important disease of lowbush blueberry that causes significant yield loss annually. In this study, the biofungicides, Diplomat 5SC&#174; (polyoxin D), Timorex Gold&#174; (tea tree oil), Fracture&#174; (BLAD) and Serenade MAX&#174; (<i>Bacillus subtilis</i>) were evaluated for their disease suppression potential against <i>B. cinerea</i> individually and in rotation ...
    • Recognition of candidate transcription factors related to bilberry fruit ripening by de novo transcriptome and qRT-PCR analyses 

      Nguyen, Nga; Suokas, Marko; Karppinen, Katja; Vuosku, Jaana; Jaakola, Laura; Häggman, Hely (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2018-07-02)
      Bilberry (<i>Vaccinium myrtillus</i> L.) fruits are an excellent natural resource for human diet because of their special flavor, taste and nutritional value as well as medical properties. Bilberries are recognized for their high anthocyanin content and many of the genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis have been characterized. So far, neither genomic nor RNA-seq data have been available for ...
    • Red and blue light treatments of ripening bilberry fruits reveal differences in signalling through abscisic acid-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis 

      Samkumar, Amos; Jones, Dan; Karppinen, Katja; Dare, Andrew P.; Sipari, Nina; Espley, Richard V.; Martinussen, Inger; Jaakola, Laura (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-08-01)
      The biosynthesis of anthocyanins has been shown to be influenced by light quality. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the light-mediated regulation of fruit anthocyanin biosynthesis are not well understood. In this study, we analysed the effects of supplemental red and blue light on the anthocyanin biosynthesis in non-climacteric bilberry (<i>Vaccinium myrtillus</i> L.). After 6 days of ...
    • Selection and validation of reliable reference genes for gene expression studies from Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi infected wild blueberry phenotypes 

      Jose, Sherin; Abbey, Joel; Jaakola, Laura; Percival, David (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-07-16)
      Monilinia blight disease caused by <i>Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi</i> (Reade) Honey (<i>M.vc</i>) causes severe damage and economic losses in wild blueberry growing regions. Molecular mechanisms regulating defence responses of wild blueberry phenotypes towards this causal fungus are not yet fully known. A reliable quantification of gene expression using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) is fundamental ...
    • Spatiotemporal modulation of flavonoid metabolism in blueberries 

      Günther, Catrin Sonja; Dare, Andrew P.; McGhie, Tony K.; Deng, Cecilia; Lafferty, Declan J.; Plunkett, Blue J.; Grierson, Ella R.P.; Turner, Janice L.; Jaakola, Laura; Albert, Nick W.; Espley, Richard V. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-05-13)
      Blueberries are distinguished by their purple-blue fruit color, which develops during ripening and is derived from a characteristic composition of flavonoid-derived anthocyanin pigments. The production of anthocyanins is confined to fruit skin, leaving the colorless fruit flesh devoid of these compounds. By linking accumulation patterns of phenolic metabolites with gene transcription in Northern ...