Six banana varieties: 3 'dessert' ones: 'IDN 110'; 'Kirun'; and 'Grande Naine', and 3 'cooking' ones: 'Galeo'; 'Sowmuk'; and 'French' were used to investigate the relationship between sugar profiles and activities of sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS, EC 2.4.1.14), sucrose synthase (SuSy, EC 2.4.1.13) working in the hydrolytic way, invertases (EC 3.2.1.26) (neutral (NIV) and acid (AIV)). Expression of a Musa cell-wall invertase (MaCwINV1/pBANUU103) gene was additionally studied during fruit development and ripening ex planta after ethylene treatment of two of these varieties. Close amounts of soluble sugars (sucrose + glucose + fructose) were measured in the different varieties at ripe stage. SPS activity was either almost constant or increased continuously or transitorily during ripening of all varieties, concomitantly to total soluble sugar (sucrose + glucose + fructose) accumulation. Together with previous data obtained from 'Cavendish', our data lead us, (i) to strengthen the hypothesis that this enzyme is likely to have a major role in the synthesis of sucrose during ripening of banana and (ii) to underline the complexity of the mode of SPS activity regulation already pointed out. Interestingly, for the first time in banana, two diploid and cooking varieties: 'Galeo' and 'Sowmuk' were found almost sucrose-free, in good agreement with a 6.4-fold higher mostly vacuolar AIV activity than that of the two desserts and diploid ones. Otherwise, expression of a MaCwINV1/pBANUU103 (cell wall) gene was followed in the two most contrasted varieties in matter of sucrose content: 'Sowmuk' almost sucrose-free, and 'IDN 110' accumulating high level of sucrose. Compared to 'IDN110', the mRNA level of MaCwINV1/pBANUU103 gene was higher (up to 173-fold) in 'Sowmuk' concomitantly with the low level of sucrose of 'Sowmuk'. Our data let us to conclude that the AIV is probably one of the main determinants involved in the regulation of sucrose level during banana fruit ripening, even if the form, vacuolar or cell wall-linked is not determined yet. Otherwise, the MaCwINV1/pBANUU103 gene appears as a putative candidate gene that could contribute to regulate this level. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.