QTL analysis reveals reduction of fruit water loss by NAC042 through regulation of cuticular wax synthesis in citrus fruit

Abstract

Postharvest water loss is a critical factor that determines the quality and shelf life of fresh fruit. Cuticular wax constitutes a key barrier to reduce fruit water loss. Our previous study has shown that HJ (Citrus reticulata) has a significantly higher postharvest water loss rate than ZK (Poncirus trifoliata). Here, we investigated the fruit water loss rate of the HJ × ZK F1 pseudo-testcross population in 2016 and 2019. QTL mapping for fruit water loss rate was performed by high-density genetic map and bulk segregant analysis, and QTL9 was identified to be associated with fruit water loss. The expression of NAC042 from QTL9 in ZK was 170-fold that in HJ. Heterologous expression in Arabidopsis showed that NAC042 could reduce the water loss of leaves by increasing the cuticular wax content (especially alkanes). Further expression analysis revealed that NAC042 could enhance the expression of many wax-related genes in Arabidopsis leaves, including AtKCS1, AtKCS2, AtKCS9, AtKCS20, AtCER1 and AtCER3. Therefore, NAC042 might be involved in fruit cuticular wax synthesis to reduce fruit water loss. The findings provide new insights into the regulation of cuticular wax and fruit water loss as well as valuable information for breeding of citrus with better storability.