Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid treatment affects citrate and amino acid accumulation to improve fruit quality and storage performance of postharvest citrus fruit.
The loss of organic acids during postharvest storage is one of the major factors that reduces the fruit quality and economic value of citrus. Citrate is the most important organic acid in citrus fruits. Molecular evidence has proved that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt plays a key role in citrate metabolism. Here, we investigated the effects of exogenous GABA treatment on citrate metabolism and storage quality of postharvest citrus fruit. The content of citrate was significantly increased, which was primarily attributed to the inhibition of the expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). Amino acids, including glutamate, alanine, serine, aspartate and proline, were also increased. Moreover, GABA treatment decreased the fruit rot rate. The activities of antioxidant enzymes and the content of energy source ATP were affected by the treatment. Our results indicate that GABA treatment is a very effective approach for postharvest quality maintenance and improvement of storage performance in citrus production.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Ling
L
Sheng
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Dandan
D
Shen
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Yi
Y
Luo
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Xiaohua
X
Sun
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Jinqiu
J
Wang
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Tao
T
Luo
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Yunliu
Y
Zeng
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Juan
J
Xu
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
Xiuxin
X
Deng
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic improvement (Central Region), MOA, PR China, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: yjcheng@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
Yunjiang
Y
Cheng
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000383:Agriculture; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002957:Citrus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D063427:Food Quality; D061353:Food Storage; D018682:GABA Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011786:Quality Control; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000596:Amino Acids; D000975:Antioxidants; D018682:GABA Agents; D019343:Citric Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase
Citrate; Citrus fruits; GABA treatment; GAD; Glutamate; Storage quality