bZIP17 modulates pedicel fruit abscission zone formation in sweet cherry

IF 8.5 1区农林科学 Q1 Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Horticulture Research Pub Date : 2026-10-08 DOI:10.1093/hr/uhag426

Michail Michailidis, Christina Skodra, Evangelia Mouchtaropoulou, Vaia Styliani Titeli, Eleni Giannoutsou, Georgia Tanou, Ioannis-Dimosthenis S Adamakis, Anagnostis Argiriou, Christos Bazakos, Athanassios Molassiotis

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Pedicel-fruit abscission zone formation determines fruit detachment and directly affects the feasibility of mechanical harvesting in sweet cherry, yet its molecular regulation remains insufficiently understood. Here, we combined physiological, anatomical, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analysis to investigate pedicel-fruit abscission zone development in two cultivars with contrasting detachment phenotypes, ‘Tragana Edessis’ (low pedicel retention force) and ‘Tsolakeika’ (high pedicel retention force). The abscission-prone cultivar exhibited distinct structural and metabolic features at the pedicel-fruit junction, including enhanced pectin remodeling, altered cell wall composition, and accumulation of cell wall-derived sugars, consistent with localized cell wall disassembly. Transcriptome analysis revealed extensive reprogramming of genes involved in cell wall modification, carbohydrate metabolism, and hormone-related pathways, and identified the endoplasmic reticulum-associated transcription factor PavbZIP17 as a candidate regulator. RNA interference-mediated silencing of PavbZIP17 in two abscission-resistant cultivars (‘Tsolakeika’ and ‘Bakirtzeika’) decreased pedicel detachment force and enhanced pedicel-fruit abscission zone development. Transcriptomic analysis following PavbZIP17 silencing identified differentially expressed genes associated with vesicular trafficking (PavPRA1), phospholipid signaling (PavPLD1), cell wall glycosylation (PavGALT6), and hormone signaling (PavARF2B). Transient promoter transactivation assays showed that a subset of the tested promoter fragments responded to PavbZIP17, supporting the corresponding genes as promoter-responsive candidates. These results suggest that PavbZIP17 participates in the regulatory network underlying pedicel-fruit abscission zone development, providing insights into fruit abscission in sweet cherry and identifying candidate targets for breeding strategies aimed at improving mechanical harvesting.

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bZIP17调控甜樱桃花梗果实脱落带的形成

甜樱桃花梗果脱落带的形成决定果实脱落，直接影响机械采收的可行性，但其分子调控机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们结合生理、解剖、代谢组学和转录组学分析，研究了两个具有不同分离表型的品种，“Tragana Edessis”（低花梗保留力）和“Tsolakeika”（高花梗保留力）的花梗-果实脱落区发育情况。易脱落的品种在花梗-果实连接处表现出明显的结构和代谢特征，包括果胶重塑增强，细胞壁成分改变，细胞壁衍生糖积累，与局部细胞壁分解一致。转录组分析揭示了参与细胞壁修饰、碳水化合物代谢和激素相关途径的基因的广泛重编程，并确定了内质网相关转录因子PavbZIP17作为候选调节因子。在两个抗脱落品种（‘ Tsolakeika ’和‘ Bakirtzeika ’）中，RNA干扰介导的PavbZIP17沉默降低了花梗脱离力，促进了花梗-果实脱落区发育。PavbZIP17沉默后的转录组学分析鉴定出与囊泡运输（PavPRA1）、磷脂信号（PavPLD1）、细胞壁糖基化（PavGALT6）和激素信号（PavARF2B）相关的差异表达基因。瞬时启动子反激活试验表明，所测试的启动子片段的一个子集对PavbZIP17有应答，支持相应的基因作为启动子应答的候选基因。这些结果表明，PavbZIP17参与了花梗-果实脱落区发育的调控网络，为甜樱桃果实脱落的研究提供了新的思路，并为改进机械收获的育种策略确定了候选靶点。

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来源期刊

Horticulture Research Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biochemistry

CiteScore

11.20

自引率

6.90%

发文量

367

审稿时长

20 weeks

期刊介绍： Horticulture Research, an open access journal affiliated with Nanjing Agricultural University, has achieved the prestigious ranking of number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2022. As a leading publication in the field, the journal is dedicated to disseminating original research articles, comprehensive reviews, insightful perspectives, thought-provoking comments, and valuable correspondence articles and letters to the editor. Its scope encompasses all vital aspects of horticultural plants and disciplines, such as biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.