Identification of a Gene Encoding Glutamate Decarboxylase Involved in the Postharvest Fruit Ripening Process in Banana

The banana, a typical climacteric fruit, undergoes a postharvest ripening process followed by a burst in ethylene production that signals the beginning of the climacteric period. Postharvest ripening plays an important role in improving the quality of the fruit as well as limiting its shelf life. To investigate the role of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) in climacteric ethylene biosynthesis and fruit ripening in postharvest banana, a GAD gene was isolated from banana, designated MuGAD. Coincidently with climacteric ethylene production, MuGAD expression as well as the expression of the genes encoding the Musa 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (MaACS1) and Musa 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (MaACO1) greatly increased during natural ripening and in ethylene-treated banana. Moreover, ethylene biosynthesis, ripening progress, and MuGAD, MaACS1, and MaACO1 expression were enhanced by exogenous ethylene application and inhibited by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Taken together, our results suggested that MuGAD is involved in the fruit ripening process in postharvest banana.

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Brassinosteroids Suppress Ethylene Biosynthesis via Transcription Factor BZR1 in Pear and Apple Fruit

10.1101/2020.02.27.968800 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yinglin Ji ◽

Yi Qu ◽

Zhongyu Jiang ◽

Xin Su ◽

Pengtao Yue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Production ◽

Plant Hormone ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Acc Synthase ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Apple Fruit ◽

Pear Fruit ◽

Climacteric Fruit

ABSTRACTThe plant hormone ethylene is important for the ripening of climacteric fruit, such as pear (Pyrus ussuriensis), and the brassinosteroid (BR) class of phytohormones affects ethylene biosynthesis during ripening, although via an unknown molecular mechanism. Here, we observed that exogenous BR treatment suppressed ethylene production during pear fruit ripening, and that the expression of the transcription factor PuBZR1 was enhanced by epibrassinolide (EBR) treatment during pear fruit ripening. PuBZR1 was shown to interact with PuACO1, which converts 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) to ethylene, and suppress its activity. We also observed that BR-activated PuBZR1 bound to the promoters of PuACO1 and of PuACS1a, which encodes ACC synthase, and directly suppressed their transcription. Moreover, PuBZR1 suppressed the expression of transcription factor PuERF2 by binding its promoter, and PuERF2 bound to the promoters of PuACO1 and PuACS1a. We concluded that PuBZR1 indirectly suppresses the transcription of PuACO1 and PuACS1a through its regulation of PuERF2. Ethylene production and the expression profiles of the corresponding apple (Malus domestica) homologs showed similar changes following EBR treatment. Together, these results suggest that BR-activated BZR1 suppresses ACO1 activity and the expression of ACO1 and ACS1a, thereby reducing ethylene production during pear and apple fruit ripening. This likely represents a conserved mechanism by which exogenous BR suppresses ethylene biosynthesis during climacteric fruit ripening.One-sentence summaryBR-activated BZR1 suppresses ACO1 activity and expression of ACO1 and ACS1a, which encode two ethylene biosynthesis enzymes, thereby reducing ethylene production during pear and apple fruit ripening.

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306 DECREASED ETHYLENE SYNTHESIS AND ALTERED FRUIT RIPENING IN TRANSGENIC TOMATOES EXPRESSING S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE HYDROIASE

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.474b ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 474b-474

Author(s):

Richard Bestwick ◽

X. Good ◽

J. Kelloogg ◽

D. Langhoff ◽

W. Matsumura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Leaf Disc ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Cellular Protein ◽

Ethylene Synthesis ◽

Gene Encoding ◽

Western Blots ◽

Postharvest Ripening ◽

Transgenic Tomatoes ◽

Disc Assay

The gene encoding S-adenosylmethionine hydrolase (SAMase) was transferred to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, cv. large red cherry) as a means of reducing ethylene biosynthesis in the ripening fruit. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the penultimate precursor to ethylene in plants. is converted to methylthioadenosine and homoserine by SAMase thereby reducing the capacity of the transgenic plant to synthesize ethylene. We have used both constitutive and fruit-specific tomato promoters to regulate SAMase gene expression. Whereas the constitutive CaMV 35S:SAMase chimeric gene expressed active SAMase and conferred a 50-60% reduction in ethylene biosynthesis in a leaf disc assay, there was little effect on fruit ethylene synthesis or postharvest ripening physiology. The use of either the tomato E4 or E8 promoters restricted SAMase expression to ripening fruit which caused a substantial (80-90%) reduction in fruit ethylene synthesis and a profound effect on fruit ripening. SAMase expression levels reached 0.1% of total cellular protein as measured on western blots using anti-SAMase monoclonal antibodies. Field trial fruit picked al the mature green stage accumulated less lycopene and were twice as firm as controls over a six week period. Vine-ripened fruit had near-normal levels of lycopene, were firmer at harvest than controls, and did not lose firmness over a two week period. Taste, vitamin content and tomatine content were superior or equivalent to control tomatoes.

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The NAM/ATAF1/2/CUC2 transcription factor PpNAC.A59 enhances PpERF.A16 expression to promote ethylene biosynthesis during peach fruit ripening

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00644-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhi-Hua Guo ◽

You-Jia Zhang ◽

Jia-Long Yao ◽

Zhi-Hua Xie ◽

Yu-Yan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Carboxylic Acid ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Genetic Network ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Ethylene Response Factor ◽

Acid Oxidase ◽

Peach Fruit ◽

Climacteric Fruit ◽

Exogenous Ethylene

AbstractPeach is a typical climacteric fruit that releases ethylene during fruit ripening. Several studies have been conducted on the transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in peach fruit. Herein, an ethylene response factor, PpERF.A16, which was induced by exogenous ethylene, could enhance ethylene biosynthesis by directly inducing the expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (PpACS1) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (PpACO1) genes. Moreover, the NAM/ATAF1/2/CUC2 (NAC) transcription factor (TF) PpNAC.A59 was coexpressed with PpERF.A16 in all tested peach cultivars. Interestingly, PpNAC.A59 can directly interact with the promoter of PpERF.A16 to induce its expression but not enhance LUC activity driven by any promoter of PpACS1 or PpACO1. Thus, PpNAC.A59 can indirectly mediate ethylene biosynthesis via the NAC-ERF signaling cascade to induce the expression of both PpACS1 and PpACO1. These results enrich the genetic network of fruit ripening in peach and provide new insight into the ripening mechanism of other perennial fruits.

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The mechanism for brassinosteroids suppressing climacteric fruit ripening

Plant Physiology ◽

10.1093/plphys/kiab013 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yinglin Ji ◽

Yi Qu ◽

Zhongyu Jiang ◽

Jijun Yan ◽

Jinfang Chu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Carboxylic Acid ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Production ◽

Plant Hormone ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Acc Synthase ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Pear Fruit ◽

Climacteric Fruit

Abstract The plant hormone ethylene is important for the ripening of climacteric fruit, such as pear (Pyrus ussuriensis), and the brassinosteroid (BR) class of phytohormones affects ethylene biosynthesis during ripening via an unknown molecular mechanism. Here, we observed that exogenous BR treatment suppressed ethylene production and delayed fruit ripening, whereas treatment with a BR biosynthesis inhibitor promoted ethylene production and accelerated fruit ripening in pear, suggesting BR is a ripening suppressor. The expression of the transcription factor BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1PuBZR1 was enhanced by BR treatment during pear fruit ripening. PuBZR1 interacted with PuACO1, which converts 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) to ethylene, and suppressed its activity. BR-activated PuBZR1 bound to the promoters of PuACO1 and of PuACS1a, which encodes ACC synthase, and directly suppressed their transcription. Moreover, PuBZR1 suppressed the expression of transcription factor PuERF2 by binding its promoter, and PuERF2 bound to the promoters of PuACO1 and PuACS1a. We concluded that PuBZR1 indirectly suppresses the transcription of PuACO1 and PuACS1a through its regulation of PuERF2. Ethylene production and expression profiles of corresponding apple (Malus domestica) homologs showed similar changes following epibrassinolide treatment. Together, these results suggest that BR-activated BZR1 suppresses ACO1 activity and the expression of ACO1 and ACS1, thereby reducing ethylene production and suppressing fruit ripening. This likely represents a conserved mechanism by which BR suppresses ethylene biosynthesis during climacteric fruit ripening.

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Analysis of ethylene biosynthesis gene expression profile during titanium dioxide (TiO2) treatment to develop a new banana postharvest technology

Indonesian Journal of Biotechnology ◽

10.22146/ijbiotech.51718 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 88

Author(s):

Fenny M Dwivany ◽

Rizkita R Esyanti ◽

Veinardi Suendo ◽

Aksarani ‘Sa Pratiwi ◽

Annisa A Putri

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Banana Fruit ◽

Ripening Process ◽

Climacteric Fruit ◽

Expression Of Genes ◽

Biosynthesis Gene ◽

Postharvest Handling

Banana is an important crop that demands proper methods in postharvest handling. As a climacteric fruit, thebanana fruit ripening process is aﬀected by ethylene. Several methods have been developed to extend the shelf life of a banana, such as using ethylene scrubbers. In this study, ttanium dioxide (TiO2), a photocatalyst, was used as an alternatve method to delay the fruit ripening process. The eﬀect of TiO2 on the ripening‐related gene MaACS1 was investgated. Banana fruits were placed in a TiO2‐coated glass chamber and observed for ten days. Fruit ripening in the treated chamber was delayed for eight days compared to the control. Total RNA was extracted from control and TiO2‐treated fruit pulp and synthesized into cDNA. Reverse transcripton PCR was performed to investgate the gene expression, which showed that MaACS1 expression was relatvely lower than treated control. The fnding of these studies suggested that the TiO2 chamber has the potental to extend the shelf life of banana by delaying its ripening process and decreasing the expression of MaACS1. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has investgated the eﬀect of TiO2 on the expression of genes related to banana fruit ripening.

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Ethylene induces soil microbes to delay fruit ripening

10.7287/peerj.preprints.506v1 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Guenevere Perry ◽

Diane Williams

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Soil Microbes ◽

Low Cost ◽

Ripening Process ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Climacteric Fruit ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Transportation Container ◽

Post Harvest Loss

The consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables increases every year, and farmers need a low cost novel method to reduce post-harvest loss and preserve the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. This study identifies a method to induce soil bacteria to biosynthesize a nitrile compound that potentially enters the plants tissue and negatively affects climacteric ripening and delays the ripening process at 20-30˚C. This study used soil rich with soil microbes, to delay the ripening of climacteric fruit. The soil was treated with nitrogen, a heavy metal, and ethylene gas. Ethylene induced the soil to delay the ripening of organic bananas and peaches. A prototype transportation container maintained fruit fresh for up to 72 h at 20-30˚C. The fruit retained color, firmness, texture, no bruising and minimal spotting. The soil also prevented fungal infection in all samples. GC-MS analysis suggests ethylene induced the soil microbes to release an acetonitrile compound into the gaseous environment. The nitrile is released in low concentrations, but mature plants (fruits) contain very low levels of indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN) or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The nitrile may obstruct or modify the mature plants (fruit) late stages development process, thus delay the climacteric ripening process and retarding the physiological and phenotypic effects of fruit ripening. We believe this study may have strong applications for post-harvest biotechnology.

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Genetic dissection of climacteric fruit ripening in a melon population segregating for ripening behavior

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-020-00411-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lara Pereira ◽

Miguel Santo Domingo ◽

Valentino Ruggieri ◽

Jason Argyris ◽

Michael A. Phillips ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Production ◽

Genome Wide Association Study ◽

Recombinant Inbred Lines ◽

Introgression Line ◽

Complex Trait ◽

Chromosome 8 ◽

Genetic Dissection ◽

Climacteric Fruit ◽

A Genome

Abstract Melon is as an alternative model to understand fruit ripening due to the coexistence of climacteric and non-climacteric varieties within the same species, allowing the study of the processes that regulate this complex trait with genetic approaches. We phenotyped a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs), obtained by crossing a climacteric (Védrantais, cantalupensis type) and a non-climcteric variety (Piel de Sapo T111, inodorus type), for traits related to climacteric maturation and ethylene production. Individuals in the RIL population exhibited various combinations of phenotypes that differed in the amount of ethylene produced, the early onset of ethylene production, and other phenotypes associated with ripening. We characterized a major QTL on chromosome 8, ETHQV8.1, which is sufficient to activate climacteric ripening, and other minor QTLs that may modulate the climacteric response. The ETHQV8.1 allele was validated by using two reciprocal introgression line populations generated by crossing Védrantais and Piel de Sapo and analyzing the ETHQV8.1 region in each of the genetic backgrounds. A Genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 211 accessions of the ssp. melo further identified two regions on chromosome 8 associated with the production of aromas, one of these regions overlapping with the 154.1 kb interval containing ETHQV8.1. The ETHQV8.1 region contains several candidate genes that may be related to fruit ripening. This work sheds light into the regulation mechanisms of a complex trait such as fruit ripening.

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A Non-Climacteric Fruit Gene CaMADS-RIN Regulates Fruit Ripening and Ethylene Biosynthesis in Climacteric Fruit

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0095559 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e95559 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Tingting Dong ◽

Guoping Chen ◽

Shibing Tian ◽

Qiaoli Xie ◽

Wencheng Yin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Climacteric Fruit

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PECTIN OLIGOMERS - POTENTIAL ENDOGENOUS REGULATORS OF RIPENING?

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.6.653g ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 653g-653

Author(s):

Eunice Melotto ◽

L. Carl Greve ◽

John M. Labavitch

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Acid Hydrolysis ◽

Ethylene Production ◽

Tomato Fruit ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Polygalacturonic Acid ◽

Ripening Process ◽

Size Classes ◽

Endogenous Regulators ◽

Fruit Pericarp

Acid hydrolysis-generated pectic oligomers have been shown to affect ripening of tomato fruit by inducing both acceleration of reddening and increased ethylene biosynthesis (Campbell & Labavitch, 1991 Plant Physiol 97:706-713). In the present work, homogeneous size classes of these oligomers were demonstrated to have different impacts on ethylene production of tomato fruit pericarp discs. Endogenous oligomeric material of the same size classes was isolated from ripening tomato tissues and also tested for biological activity. They promoted some aspects of ripening as shown by increased ACC and ethylene production, which suggests that pectic oligomers are potential regulators of the ripening process in tomatoes. A metabolic origin for these oligomers is suggested by the fact that they are produced by in vitro polygalacturonase I treatment of polygalacturonic acid or tomato pectin.

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Effect of 1-MCP on Apple Fruit Ripening and Volatile Production

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.3.536d ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 536D-536 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

J. Song ◽

M.S. Tian ◽

D.R. Dilley ◽

R.M. Beaudry

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Ethylene Production ◽

Quality Criterion ◽

Apple Fruit ◽

Climacteric Fruit ◽

Aroma Production ◽

Ethylene Action ◽

Important Quality ◽

The Relationship ◽

Volatile Production

Aroma production by apple fruit is an important quality criterion and has been found to be a fruit-ripening-related process. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an effective ethylene action inhibitor, was used to study the relationship between volatile biosynthesis, ethylene action, and fruit ripening in `Golden Delicious' apple fruit. Pre-climacteric fruit were treated with 1-MCP vapors at a concentration of 500 parts per billion (v/v) at 23°C. 1-MCP prevented the climacteric rise of ethylene production, respiration, and volatile production, while untreated fruits developed typical climacteric changes in ethylene production, respiration and volatile production. Applying ethylene at 15–20 parts per million for 24 hr 11 days after 1-MCP treatment could not overcome the effect of 1-MCP, suggesting that 1-MCP inhibited ethylene action irreversibly. Interestingly, when 1-MCP-treated tissue were fed butanol and butyric acid, they converted these compounds to their corresponding esters butylacetate and butylbutanoate. Thus precursor supply is apparently limiting and appears to be ethylene-dependent.

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