RNA-Seq on Malus domestica Braeburn x Cameo lines resistant and susceptible to bitter pit disorder

Bitter pit is the most important physiological disorder affecting apples. In order to ascertain the genetic bases of its incidence in apple fruit, a mapping population of 'Braeburn' (susceptible to bitter pit) × 'Cameo' (resistant to bitter pit) cultivars was used to map the trait over two growing seasons. RNA-Seq on pools of RNA extracted from fruits of three resistant and three susceptible to bitter pit progenies at post-fertilization and full maturity stages, permitted us to identify a number of candidate genes underlying genetic resistance/susceptibility to bitter pit.