Olea europaea Transcriptome or Gene expression

The 454 technology was used to implement the very few sequence data currently available for the Olea europaea species and to provide hints to improve the characterization of the olive fruit mesocarp transcriptome. Fruits of Coratina, a widely cultivated variety characterized by a very high phenolic content, and from Tendellone, an oleuropein-lacking natural variant, were used as starting material for monitoring transcriptome. Four different cDNA libraries were sequenced respectively at the beginning and at the end of drupe development. A total of 260,000 reads were obtained, for an output of about 58 Mb. Comparative transcript profiling allowed the identification of differentially expressed genes with potential relevance in regulating the anaboloism of triacylglycerol and phenolic compounds during olive fruit development.