title: Hypoxia-responsive ERFs involved in postdeastringency softening of persimmon fruit.
abstract: Removal of astringency by endogenously formed acetaldehyde, achieved by postharvest anaerobic treatment, is of critical importance for many types of persimmon fruit. Although an anaerobic environment accelerates de-astringency, it also has the deleterious effect of promoting excessive softening, reducing shelf life and marketability. Some hypoxia-responsive ethylene response factors (ERFs) participate in anaerobic de-astringency, but their role in accelerated softening was unclear. Undesirable rapid softening induced by high CO2(95%) was ameliorated by adding the ethylene inhibitor 1-MCP (1 μL/L), resulting in reduced astringency while maintaining firmness, suggesting that CO2-induced softening involves ethylene signalling. Among the hypoxia-responsive genes, expression of eight involved in fruit cell wall metabolism (Dkβ-gal1/4, DkEGase1, DkPE1/2, DkPG1, DkXTH9/10) and three ethylene response factor genes (DkERF8/16/19) showed significant correlations with postdeastringency fruit softening. Dual-luciferase assay indicated that DkERF8/16/19 could trans-activate the DkXTH9 promoter and this interaction was abolished by a mutation introduced into the C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element of the DkXTH9 promoter, supporting the conclusion that these DkERFs bind directly to the DkXTH9 promoter and regulate this gene, which encodes an important cell wall metabolism enzyme. Some hypoxia-responsive ERF genes are involved in deastringency and softening, and this linkage was uncoupled by 1-MCP. Fruit of the Japanese cultivar 'Tonewase' provide a model for altered anaerobic response, as they lost astringency yet maintained firmness after CO2treatment without 1-MCP and changes in cell wall enzymes and ERFs did not occur.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.|The State Agriculture Ministry Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Miao-Miao
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Gang
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chu-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Ning-Jing
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.|Plant & Crop Sciences Division, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grierson
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.|The State Agriculture Ministry Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Ren
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.|The State Agriculture Ministry Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Kun-Song
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D029788:Diospyros / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013634:Tannins / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D003521:Cyclopropanes; D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D013634:Tannins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C036216:ethylene; C412563:1-methylcyclopropene
keywords: Astringency removal; ERF; high CO2; hypoxia; persimmon fruit; postharvest softening; transcriptional regulation