Jiang Yuanye, Tao Jiejie, Zuo Jinhua, Jing Zixia, Wang Yunxiang, Bai Chunmei, Fernie Alisdair R, Zheng Yanyan, Wu Caie
College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China.
Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetable Storage and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Beijing, 100097, China.
Plant J. 2025 Aug;123(4):e70387. doi: 10.1111/tpj.70387.
Apricot produces climacteric fruit, which are perishable after harvest. To elucidate the regulatory role of NO treatment through DNA methylation in post-harvest senescence, apricot fruits were treated with 0.2 mmol/L sodium nitroprusside (SNP) solution for 10 min, with distilled water treatment serving as the control. Treated fruits were then stored at 25°C and 80% relative humidity. Changes in appearance quality, physiological parameters, metabolome profiles, transcriptome dynamics, and DNA methylation patterns were analyzed before and after storage. Results showed that NO treatment delayed apricot softening, increased flavonoid metabolite accumulation, and reduced lipid and abscisic acid accumulation, with these effects correlated to the expression of specific genes and transcription factors. This work reveals the epigenetic regulatory mechanism underlying NO treatment delaying ripening and senescence. Further analysis revealed that the transcription levels of ACO, PAL, UFGT-like, NCED1, PP2C, MYB21, CCoAOMT-like, CYP707A, and ZNF7-like were all correlated with DNA methylation. This indicates that SNP treatment can lead to large changes in DNA methylation levels in apricot fruits, and that the differences in gene transcription levels are associated with the occurrence of hypomethylation and hypermethylation. Collectively, these findings establish an epigenetic framework for post-harvest regulation of apricot fruit, revealing DNA methylation-mediated freshness preservation mechanisms.
杏产生呼吸跃变型果实，采后易腐。为阐明一氧化氮（NO）处理通过DNA甲基化在采后衰老中的调控作用，用0.2 mmol/L硝普钠（SNP）溶液处理杏果10分钟，以蒸馏水处 理作为对照。然后将处理后的果实储存在25°C和80%相对湿度的环境中。分析了储存前后果实的外观品质、生理参数、代谢组图谱、转录组动态变化和DNA甲基化模式。结果表明，NO处理延缓了杏果软化，增加了类黄酮代谢产物积累，减少了脂质和脱落酸积累，这些效应与特定基因和转录因子的表达相关。这项工作揭示了NO处理延缓成熟和衰老的表观遗传调控机制。进一步分析表明，ACO、PAL、UFGT-like、NCED1、PP2C、MYB21、CCoAOMT-like、CYP707A和ZNF7-like的转录水平均与DNA甲基化相关。这表明SNP处理可导致杏果DNA甲基化水平发生较大变化，且基因转录水平的差异与低甲基化和高甲基化的发生有关。总的来说，这些发现建立了杏果采后调控的表观遗传框架，揭示了DNA甲基化介导的保鲜机制。
