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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1542830
This article is part of the Research Topic Fruit Trees Under Stress: Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Mechanisms View all 5 articles
Light-mediated activation of PpPSY enhances β-carotene accumulation in pear fruit peel
Provisionally accepted- Hubei Key Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Fruit Trees, Research Institute of Fruit and Tea, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China
Light is a key environmental factor that regulates fruit development and influences several important quality traits, including pericarp color. In pear fruits, carotenoids are the primary determinant of pericarp color. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying light-mediated carotenoid accumulation remain poorly understood. This study investigated the carotenoid contents in the peels of non-bagged (light-exposed) and bagged (shaded) pear fruits (Cuiguan, Pyrus pyrifolia) and revealed a significant differences in β-carotene content between the two treatments. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of phytoene synthase (PSY) was downregulated in bagged fruits, highlighting the regulatory role of PSY in carotenoid metabolism. To further validate this, we transiently overexpressedoverexpression PSY, which resulted in a marked increase in β-carotene levels at the injection site. Conversely, transient silencing of PSY led to a significant reduction in the β-carotene content, confirming the pivotal role of PSY in regulating β-carotene accumulation. Promoter analysis revealed that agamouslike 8 (AGL8) directly binds to the PSY promoter to activate its transcription. Proteinprotein interaction assays demonstrated that AGL8 interacts with LEAFY (LFY), thereby increasing PSY expression. In conclusion, the AGL8-LFY complex co-activates PSY expression, regulating β-carotene accumulation in pear fruit. This study provides new insights into the regulatory network governing fruit peel coloration, with potential applications for cultivation strategies to improve fruit quality.
Keywords: Light, Pear, carotenoid, psy, AGL8, LFY
Received: 10 Dec 2024; Accepted: 10 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Du, Tu, Zhu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Li Zhang, Hubei Key Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Fruit Trees, Research Institute of Fruit and Tea, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China
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