γ-Aminobutyric Acid Treatment Suppresses Ethylene Biosynthesis in Actinidia aruguta during Postharvest Storage

• Published in: Weon'ye gwahag gi'sulji Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 575 - 588
• Main Authors: Zhu, Qi, Li, Xu, Chen, Siyi, Ahiakpa, John Kojo, Chen, Chao, Ding, Wona, Dong, Haiqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국원예학회HST 01.01.2024; 한국원예학회
• Subjects: 농학; GABA; respiration rate; ethylene production; kiwifruit; quality
• ISSN: 1226-8763; 2465-8588
• DOI: 10.7235/HORT.20240046

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is known to exert significant influence on plant development. Nevertheless, there is a limited study on the modulation of kiwifruit ripening through the use of GABA. In this study, we conducted an assessment of the physicochemical properties and gene expression patterns associated with ripening in hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia aruguta). Specifically, the result showed that the application of exogenous GABA had a positive impact on kiwifruit quality. Additionally, it was observed that exogenous GABA treatment led to a decrease in respiration rate and ethylene production. Furthermore, the enzyme activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase (ACO) and ACC synthase (ACS) were reduced as a result of the exogenous GABA treatment. Conversely, the overexpression of the AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 gene, which plays a role in the biosynthesis of GABA, resulted in the inhibition of ethylene production by decreasing the the expression levels of AaACO1, AaACO3, AaACS1, and AaACS2. The silencing of the AaGAD1 or AaGAD4 gene had the opposite effect. Our findings provide evidence that the application of exogenous GABA has the potential to enhance the storage quality and extend the shelf life of kiwifruit. Thus, the study confirms the involvement of GABA in molecular-level regulation of ethylene production in kiwifruit KCI Citation Count: 0