Exploring Key Metabolic Pathways in Chilling Injury Development in Peaches Based on Transcriptomic Analysis

Abstract:

Peaches are susceptible to chilling injury(CI) during low-temperature storage, which severely affects their commercial quality. To investigate the variations in various metabolic pathways during the development of CI in peaches, the transcriptional level changes in ‘Hujingmilu’ peaches during low-temperature and room-temperature storage periods were analyzed based on transcriptome analysis. The results indicated that a total of 125 metabolic pathways were identified as altered during the storage of peaches. Through the analysis of five key metabolic pathways, it was observed that the development of CI in peaches accompanied by the activation of pathways involved in the conversion of oxidative or reductive glutathione, synthesis and degradation of sucrose, and degradation of pectin. Additionally, the synthesis pathway of starch and the synthesis and signaling pathway of jasmonic acid were inhibited during this process. The alterations in the above metabolic pathways might be the mechanisms in response to the cold stress in peaches. These findings could provide the theoretical guidance for subsequent investigations into the regulation mechanisms in CI development of peaches.