The NAC transcription factor FaRIF controls fruit ripening in strawberry. Issue 5 (24th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martín-Pizarro, Carmen; Vallarino, José G; Osorio, Sonia; Meco, Victoriano; Urrutia, María; Pillet, Jeremy; Casañal, Ana; Merchante, Catharina; Amaya, Iraida; Willmitzer, Lothar; Fernie, Alisdair R; Giovannoni, James J; Botella, Miguel A; Valpuesta, Victoriano; Posé, David
• Is Part Of: The Plant Cell. Volume 33:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 1574
• Page End: 1593
• Publication Date: 2021-02-24
• DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab070
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-4651

Abstract

Abstract: In contrast to climacteric fruits such as tomato, the knowledge on key regulatory genes controlling the ripening of strawberry, a nonclimacteric fruit, is still limited. NAC transcription factors (TFs) mediate different developmental processes in plants. Here, we identified and characterized Ripening Inducing Factor (FaRIF), a NAC TF that is highly expressed and induced in strawberry receptacles during ripening. Functional analyses based on stable transgenic lines aimed at silencing FaRIF by RNA interference, either from a constitutive promoter or the ripe receptacle-specific EXP2 promoter, as well as overexpression lines showed that FaRIF controls critical ripening-related processes such as fruit softening and pigment and sugar accumulation. Physiological, metabolome, and transcriptome analyses of receptacles of FaRIF- silenced and overexpression lines point to FaRIF as a key regulator of strawberry fruit ripening from early developmental stages, controlling abscisic acid biosynthesis and signaling, cell-wall degradation, and modification, the phenylpropanoid pathway, volatiles production, and the balance of the aerobic/anaerobic metabolism. FaRIF is therefore a target to be modified/edited to control the quality of strawberry fruits. Abstract : We identified and characterized the NAC transcription factor FaRIF, which plays an essential role in the regulation of different processes associated with strawberry fruit ripening.