Dynamic proteome and acetylome profiling reveals key regulators of sucrose accumulation in sugarcane.

Key message: Lysine acetylation and protein abundance both play crucial roles in regulating sucrose accumulation in sugarcane, with 73 dual-function proteins identified as potential targets for molecular breeding to enhance sucrose levels. Lysine acetylation plays a crucial role in regulating various biological processes in plants, but its role in sucrose accumulation in sugarcane remains unexplored In this study, we conducted a comprehensive quantitative proteome and acetylated proteome analysis on the leaves of two sugarcane genotypes with high and low sucrose levels at early, middle, and late stages of sucrose accumulation. Quantitative proteome analysis identified 2363 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs), of which 165 were associated with sugar metabolism pathways, providing more targets for improving sucrose content in sugarcane. The acetylated proteome analysis identified 1397 differentially acetylated proteins (DAcPs) with 2377 acetylation sites. Many DAcPs were also involved in sugar metabolism, demonstrating that lysine acetylation is associated with sucrose accumulation. A comparison of the DAPs and DAcPs identified 650 overlapping proteins, with 73 of them related to sugar metabolism, confirming dual regulatory roles of protein abundance and acetylation in sucrose accumulation in sugarcane. These 73 proteins serve as targets for sucrose improvement with dual regulatory effects. Our data also suggest that histone acetylation and nitrogen metabolism may be related to sucrose accumulation. This work enhances our understanding of the mechanisms regulating sucrose accumulation and proposes targets for improving sucrose content in sugarcane through molecular breeding.