The Transcription Factor AcMYC2 Alleviates Chilling Injury by Improving Cold Resistance of Kiwifruit 'Taishan 1'

Kiwifruit, classified as a respiratory climacteric fruit, faces challenges due to its limited resistance to storage and transportation. Although low-temperature storage is a cost-effective and widely used method, the cold injury it induces poses significant hurdles to industrial development. In this study, we selected 'Taishan 1', the dominant kiwifruit cultivar in Shandong Province, as the experimental material. Through transcriptome sequencing, we identified the key gene AcMYC2, which plays a crucial role in the kiwifruit's response to low-temperature stress. Subsequently, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) was performed on 'Taishan 1' kiwifruit, and gene overexpression was validated in tomatoes. The results demonstrated that AcMYC2 enhances cold tolerance in kiwifruit accompanied by multiple physiological processes, including antioxidant activity, lipid metabolism, and cell wall degradation. These findings offer significant insights into mitigating cold injury during low-temperature storage of kiwifruit and provide a theoretical foundation for advancing postharvest preservation techniques.