title: Banana ethylene response factors are involved in fruit ripening through their interactions with ethylene biosynthesis genes.
abstract: The involvement of ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factor (TF) in the transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthesis genes during fruit ripening remains largely unclear. In this study, 15 ERF genes, designated as MaERF1-MaERF15, were isolated and characterized from banana fruit. These MaERFs were classified into seven of the 12 known ERF families. Subcellular localization showed that MaERF proteins of five different subfamilies preferentially localized to the nucleus. The 15 MaERF genes displayed differential expression patterns and levels in peel and pulp of banana fruit, in association with four different ripening treatments caused by natural, ethylene-induced, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)-delayed, and combined 1-MCP and ethylene treatments. MaERF9 was upregulated while MaERF11 was downregulated in peel and pulp of banana fruit during ripening or after treatment with ethylene. Furthermore, yeast-one hybrid (Y1H) and transient expression assays showed that the potential repressor MaERF11 bound to MaACS1 and MaACO1 promoters to suppress their activities and that MaERF9 activated MaACO1 promoter activity. Interestingly, protein-protein interaction analysis revealed that MaERF9 and -11 physically interacted with MaACO1. Taken together, these results suggest that MaERFs are involved in banana fruit ripening via transcriptional regulation of or interaction with ethylene biosynthesis genes.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources/Guangdong Key Laboratory for Postharvest Science, College of Horticultural Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Yun-yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Jian-ye
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiang-fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yue-ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Wang-jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D028521:Musa / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D059467:Transcriptome; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C036216:ethylene
keywords: Banana; ERF; ethylene biosynthesis; fruit ripening; interaction; transcriptional regulation.