Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals fruit discoloration mechanisms in postharvest strawberries in response to high ambient temperature

Liping Zhang; Lu Wang; Xiangguo Zeng; Ruixu Chen; Shuzhen Yang; Siyi Pan

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2019.100025

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals fruit discoloration mechanisms in postharvest strawberries in response to high ambient temperature

Food Chem X. 2019 Apr 27:2:100025. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2019.100025. eCollection 2019 Jun 30.

Authors

Liping Zhang¹, Lu Wang¹, Xiangguo Zeng², Ruixu Chen¹, Shuzhen Yang¹, Siyi Pan¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
² Economic Crop Research Institute, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, PR China.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine both physiological and molecular evidences related to fruit discoloration in postharvest strawberries under high ambient temperature. The results showed the total anthocyanin and their main components in the strawberries under 35 °C were greatly increased due to the significant up-regulations of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and transportation genes. High ambient temperature greatly improved the activities of peroxidase (POD) and enhanced gene expressions of POD3, POD6 and POD63. At the same time, high storage temperature activated laccase genes expression including laccase-9 and laccase-14, which was closely related to anthocyanin degradation. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism were also increased under high ambient temperature at transcript levels. Therefore, we concluded that high ambient temperature could enhance anthocyanin accumulation and degradation at the same time, which maybe the main reasons for the fruits discoloration of postharvest strawberries under high ambient temperature.

Keywords: Anthocyanin accumulation; Anthocyanin degradation; Fruit discoloration; Laccase; Postharvest strawberries.