Liu Bobin, Yang Qixin, Xin Gui-Liang, Wang Xiaqin, Zhang Li, He Dongmei, Zhang Shuning, Pan Yuru, Zou Shuang-Quan, Zhang Jin, Liao Jiakai, Zou Xiao-Xing
Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-agriculture, School of Wetlands, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224051, China.
Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-agriculture, School of Wetlands, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224051, China; College of Forestry, Fujian Colleges and Universities Engineering Research Institute of Conservation and Utilization of Natural Bioresources, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Mar;292:139061. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139061. Epub 2024 Dec 25.
Fruit features are crucial for plant propagation, population growth, biodiversity preservation, and evolutionary survival. However, the synergistic regulatory mechanisms underlying the development of fruit traits such as color, shape and duration are unclear. Euscaphis japonica, whose fruits have a red-winged pericarp and persist for a long period of time, is an important ornamental plant in eastern Asia. In this study, we present a complete proteome spanning multiple time points and the phosphoproteome landscape of E. japonica fruit during the maturation and ripening phases. Quantitative evaluation via proteome and phosphoproteome analysis revealed three distinct phases that are consistent with the fruit maturation and ripening stages on a longitudinal time scale. The two-way proteomics analysis revealed functionally important biological events, including anthocyanin accumulation and phytohormone and light signal transduction. Importantly, our integrated analysis, along with experimental validation and phytohormone treatments, suggested that alterations in EjPHYB and EjPHOT1 phosphorylation may lead to auxin accumulation and the inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis, thereby initiating the development of long-duration, red butterfly-shaped E. japonica fruit. Our study reveals a mechanism of E. japonica fruit formation that highlights plant adaptive strategies that potentially evolved through interactions with frugivores.
果实特征对于植物繁殖、种群增长、生物多样性保护和进化生存至关重要。然而，果实颜色、形状和持续时间等性状发育背后的协同调控机制尚不清楚。野鸦椿果实具红色翅状果皮且持续时间长，是东亚一种重要的观赏植物。在本研究中，我们展示了野鸦椿果实在成熟和衰老阶段多个时间点的完整蛋白质组和磷酸化蛋白质组图谱。通过蛋白质组和磷酸化蛋白质组分析进行的定量评估揭示了三个不同阶段，这些阶段在纵向时间尺度上与果实成熟和衰老阶段一致。双向蛋白质组学分析揭示了功能上重要的生物学事件，包括花青素积累以及植物激素和光信号转导。重要的是，我们的综合分析以及实验验证和植物激素处理表明，EjPHYB和EjPHOT1磷酸化的改变可能导致生长素积累并抑制乙烯生物合成，从而启动野鸦椿长时、红色蝶形果实的发育。我们的研究揭示了野鸦椿果实形成的机制，突出了可能通过与食果动物相互作用而进化的植物适应性策略。
