Brassinosteroid Biosynthetic Gene SlCYP90B3 Alleviates Chilling Injury of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruits during Cold Storage.

Songshen Hu,Qiaomei Wang,Tonglin Wang,Lihong Liu,Jirong Zheng,Fanliang Meng,Zhiyong Shao,Hao Chen

doi:10.3390/antiox11010115

Abstract

Tomato is susceptible to chilling injury during cold storage. In this study, we found that low temperature promoted the expression of brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthetic genes in tomato fruits. The overexpression of SlCYP90B3 (SlCYP90B3-OE), a key BR biosynthetic gene, alleviated the chilling injury with decreased electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde. In SlCYP90B3-OE tomato fruits, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were markedly increased, while the activity of membranous lipolytic enzymes, lipoxygenase (LOX), and phospholipase D (PLD), were significantly decreased when compared with the wild-type in response to cold storage. Furthermore, the expression level of the cold-response-system component, SlCBF1, was higher in SlCYP90B3-OE fruits than in the wild-type fruits. These results indicated that SlCYP90B3 might be involved in the chilling tolerance of tomato fruits during cold storage, possibly by regulating the antioxidant enzyme system and SlCBF1 expression.

Highlights

Cold storage is widely used to extend the shelf-life and maintain the quality of horticultural products during the postharvest period
The possible mechanisms for ameliorating chilling injury by such treatments generally involve the regulation of SlCBF1 gene expression [7], the induction of proline accumulation [9], the stimulation of arginine pathways [6], and the regulation of the antioxidant system [5]
A limitation for originally tropical fresh produce is that they are susceptible to chilling injury [1]

Summary

Introduction

Cold storage is widely used to extend the shelf-life and maintain the quality of horticultural products during the postharvest period. Tomato fruits often suffer from chilling injury during low-temperature storage [1]. Chilling injury symptoms include surface lesions, discoloration, increased water loss and decay, and loss of the ability to develop their full color when exposed to warm temperature [2]. With extensive use of cold-chain transportation, there is a reality need to optimize comprehensive strategies to reduce chilling injury symptoms in tomato. Several technologies have been used to reduce chilling injury, including genetic engineering, modified atmosphere packaging [3], and chemical treatments, such as ethylene [4], gibberellins [5], methyl jasmonate [6], eugenol [7], and oxalic acid [8]. The possible mechanisms for ameliorating chilling injury by such treatments generally involve the regulation of SlCBF1 gene expression [7], the induction of proline accumulation [9], the stimulation of arginine pathways [6], and the regulation of the antioxidant system [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion