Molecular Regulation of Fruit Development and Aroma Biosynthesis in Durian: Comparative Insights from Tropical Fruit Species

Abstract

Durian (Durio zibethinus L.) is a commercially important tropical fruit characterized by climacteric ripening and a distinctive sulfur-rich aroma. Recent advances in genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics have provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit development and aroma biosynthesis in durian. Comparative evidence from mango (Mangifera indica L.), banana (Musa spp.), papaya (Carica papaya L.), and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) indicates that hormonal and transcriptional mechanisms involved in fruit ripening share conserved features among these species, whereas aroma-related metabolic pathways differ among species. However, the regulatory connections among developmental processes, hormonal signaling, transcriptional regulation, and metabolic reprogramming that determine aroma formation remain insufficiently integrated. This review focuses on the molecular networks connecting fruit development, hormonal signaling, transcription factor regulation, and metabolic reprogramming during aroma formation in durian. Particular emphasis is placed on sulfur-containing volatiles and methionine catabolism, which contribute to the characteristic aroma of durian. Comparative evidence from these tropical fruits are used to distinguish conserved mechanisms of climacteric ripening from species-specific mechanisms of volatile metabolism. The roles of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling, transcription factors, and key biosynthetic genes involved in fruit development and aroma formation are also discussed. Postharvest changes in volatile compounds and emerging approaches, including genome editing and metabolic engineering, are further discussed for their potential to improve aroma quality and breeding efficiency. This review provides an integrated molecular framework linking developmental regulation, hormone signaling, transcription factors, metabolic pathways, and aroma-associated phenotypes in durian, while highlighting conserved and species-specific mechanisms across tropical fruits.