Transcriptome changes in apple peel tissues during CO2 injury symptom development under controlled atmosphere storage...

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Postharvest Biology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Apple fruit storability is crucial for the fruit industry.
• Advanced storage technologies like controlled atmosphere (CA) and 1-methylcyclopropane (1-MCP) extend fruit life.
• CA storage can induce external CO2 injury in certain apple cultivars, with underlying molecular mechanisms unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate global transcriptional regulations in apple peel under different storage conditions.
• To elucidate molecular changes during the development of CO2 injury symptoms.
• To identify specific transcriptome changes associated with CA storage and 1-MCP application.

Main Methods:

• Sampling of 'Golden Delicious' apple peel under regular cold, CA, and CA + 1-MCP storage over 12 weeks.
• Analysis of physiological changes and CO2 injury symptoms.
• Identification of differentially expressed genes and gene ontology enrichment analysis.

Main Results:

• CO2 injury symptoms were observed 2 weeks after CA storage.
• CA storage induced profound transcriptome changes, with a large number of differentially expressed genes.
• CA storage + 1-MCP resulted in lighter symptoms and reduced transcriptome changes.
• Oxidative stress response, glycolysis, and protein post-translational modification were highly enriched in CA-stored fruit.

Conclusions:

• Transcriptome analysis reveals specific molecular changes associated with different apple storage regimens.
• CA storage significantly alters gene expression, potentially contributing to CO2 injury.
• 1-MCP application mitigates CO2 injury by reducing the extent of transcriptome changes.
• Oxidative stress, glycolysis, and protein modification are key pathways involved in CA-induced CO2 injury in apples.