title: 'Movers and shakers' in the regulation of fruit ripening: a cross-dissection of climacteric versus non-climacteric fruit.
abstract: Fruit ripening is a complex and highly coordinated developmental process involving the expression of many ripening-related genes under the control of a network of signalling pathways. The hormonal control of climacteric fruit ripening, especially ethylene perception and signalling transduction in tomato has been well characterized. Additionally, great strides have been made in understanding some of the major regulatory switches (transcription factors such as RIPENING-INHIBITOR and other transcriptional regulators such as COLOURLESS NON-RIPENING, TOMATO AGAMOUS-LIKE1 and ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTORs), that are involved in tomato fruit ripening. In contrast, the regulatory network related to non-climacteric fruit ripening remains poorly understood. However, some of the most recent breakthrough research data have provided several lines of evidences for abscisic acid- and sucrose-mediated ripening of strawberry, a non-climacteric fruit model. In this review, we discuss the most recent research findings concerning the hormonal regulation of fleshy fruit ripening and their cross-talk and the future challenges taking tomato as a climacteric fruit model and strawberry as a non-climacteric fruit model. We also highlight the possible contribution of epigenetic changes including the role of plant microRNAs, which is opening new avenues and great possibilities in the fields of fruit-ripening research and postharvest biology.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Integrative Sciences and Technology, Quest International University Perak, Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun, 30250 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia cherian.sam@qiup.edu.my.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Forest Sciences and Biotechnology Center, Universidad de Concepcion, Casilla 160-C, Concepcion, Chile.
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Integrative Sciences and Technology, Quest International University Perak, Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun, 30250 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nair
mesh_terms: D031985:Fragaria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators
keywords: Abscisic acid; climacteric fruit; epigenetics; ethylene; fruit ripening; non-climacteric fruit; strawberry; tomato.