Wu Yu, Chen Haonan, Wu Mengbo, Zhou Yuanyi, Yu Chuying, Yang Qihong, Rolland Filip, Van de Poel Bram, Bouzayen Mondher, Hu Nan, Wang Yikui, Liu Mingchun
Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China.
Vegetable Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science, Nanning 530007, Guangxi, China.
Hortic Res. 2024 Oct 2;12(1):uhae283. doi: 10.1093/hr/uhae283. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Sugars act as signaling molecules to modulate various growth processes and enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Moreover, sugars contribute to the postharvest flavor in fleshy fruit crops. To date, the regulation of sugar metabolism and its effect in plant growth, fruit ripening, postharvest quality, and stress resistance remains not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of tomato gene encoding a vacuolar invertase, hydrolyzing sucrose to glucose and fructose. is specifically expressed during the tomato fruit ripening process. We found that overexpression of resulted in increased leaf size and early flowering, while knockout of led to increased fruit sucrose content, enhanced fruit firmness, and elevated resistance of postharvest fruit to Moreover, the content of naringenin and total soluble solids was significantly increased in knockout fruit at postharvest stage. Transcriptome analysis showed a negative feedback regulation triggered by sucrose accumulation in knockout fruit resulting in a downregulation of and which are critical for starch degradation. Moreover, genes associated with cell wall, cutin, wax, and flavonoid biosynthesis and pathogen resistance were upregulated in knockout fruit. Conversely, the expression levels of genes involved in cell wall degradation were decreased in knockout fruit. These results are consistent with the enhanced postharvest quality and resistance. Our findings not only provide new insights into the relationship between tomato fruit sucrose content and postharvest fruit quality, but also suggest new strategies to enhance fruit quality and extend postharvest shelf life.
糖类作为信号分子，可调节多种生长过程，并增强植物对各种非生物和生物胁迫的耐受性。此外，糖类还影响肉质水果作物的采后风味。迄今为止，糖代谢的调控及其在植物生长、果实成熟、采后品质和抗逆性方面的作用仍未完全明确。在本研究中，我们探究了番茄中一个编码液泡转化酶（可将蔗糖水解为葡萄糖和果糖）的基因的作用。该基因在番茄果实成熟过程中特异性表达。我们发现，该基因过表达导致叶片尺寸增大和开花提前，而敲除该基因则使果实蔗糖含量增加、果实硬度增强，且采后果实对[此处原文缺失某种胁迫因素]的抗性提高。此外，在采后阶段，敲除该基因的果实中柚皮素和总可溶性固形物的含量显著增加。转录组分析表明，敲除该基因的果实中蔗糖积累引发了负反馈调节，导致对淀粉降解至关重要的[此处原文缺失相关基因名称]和[此处原文缺失相关基因名称]下调。此外，与细胞壁、角质、蜡质和类黄酮生物合成以及病原体抗性相关的基因在敲除该基因的果实中上调。相反，参与细胞壁降解的基因在敲除该基因的果实中的表达水平降低。这些结果与采后品质和抗性的提高相一致。我们的研究结果不仅为番茄果实蔗糖含量与采后果实品质之间的关系提供了新的见解，还为提高果实品质和延长采后货架期提出了新策略。
