Multi-Omic Approaches to Investigate Molecular Mechanisms in Peach Post-Harvest Ripening

Abstract

Peach post-harvest ripening is a complex developmental process controlled by a plethora of genetic and epigenetic factors. Specifically, it leads to protein, lipid and nucleic acid degradation, all resulting in cell death. Substantial research has been directed at investigating peach regulatory mechanisms underlying genomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic modifications occurring during this stage, and much progress has been made thanks to the advent of Next Generation Sequencing technologies. This review is focused on the latest multi-omics studies, with the aim of highlighting the most significant results and further investigating the regulation of the key genes involved in peach post-harvest processes and related physiology. By offering an exhaustive overview of peach omics profiles, it provides a comprehensive description of gene expression changes and their correlation with ripening stages, including some post-harvest treatments, as well as with volatile organic compound modifications. However, the present work highlights that, due to the complexity of the process, recent investigations do not elucidate all underlying molecular mechanisms, making further studies still necessary. For this reason, some key points for future research activities and innovative peach breeding programs are discussed, relying on trusted multi-omic approaches.

Storage of halved strawberry fruits affects aroma, phytochemical content and gene expression, and is affected by pre-harvest factors

“…Here expression of patterns of ATG8 and ATG4 genes were similar to those reported previously for the later stages of ripening ( Sánchez-Sevilla et al., 2021 ) with ATG8 expression increasing while ATG4 expression fell between the white and red stages of ripening. Fruits here were harvested at the red ripe stage so the increase in ATG8 expression could be related to continued ripening during storage which is known to occur in climacteric fruit such as peach ( Sirangelo et al., 2022 ). However, the rise in expression between day 1 and day 5 of storage may also indicate that autophagy is increasing as the fruit tissue begins to run out of nutrients.…”

Dissecting postharvest chilling injuries in pome and stone fruit through integrated omics

“…High throughput technologies have also facilitated the generation of extensive omics datasets ( Mora-Poblete et al., 2023 ) eventually, increasing the number of studies involving omics data in fruit postharvest ( Belay and James Caleb, 2022 ). Despite all these technological advances, some key aspects of fruits postharvest processes are not fully understood, including CIs ( Sirangelo et al., 2022 ).…”

Role of integrated omics in unravelling fruit stress and defence responses during postharvest: A review

“…Molecular level information could serve as signalling molecules that alter the biochemical process and the consecutive quality changes in the fruit ( Lara et al, 2022 ). Recent advances in high-throughput technologies such as, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomics enables qualitative monitoring and understanding of biological processes and allow determination of their various states on genomic scales (Belay, Caleb, Vorster, Heerden, & Opara et al, 2020; Mathabe, Belay, Ndlovu, & Caleb et al, 2020; Tang, Chen, Hu, Deng, Chen, & Li et al, 2018; Sirangelo et al, 2022 ; Xie et al, 2022).…”

“…Most of the above studies highlighted that the integrated omics approach provides a better knowledge to understand various molecular mechanisms at the whole genome level. In addition, the benefit of integrated omics analysis for postharvest research has been suggested by various studies ( Chen et al, 2017 , Yun et al, 2019 , Sirangelo et al, 2022 ).…”

“…In another review, More et al (2020) reported the biomarkers associated with quality and safety of fresh produce mainly focusing on the metabolomics analysis. Most recently, Sirangelo et al (2022) reviewed different articles on the area of multi-omics approach for peach postharvest ripening process and suggested multi-omics studies with data integration could contribute to further knowledge about the complexity of peach postharvest physiology. However, these reviews lack information related to molecular responses of various fruit due to application of various postharvest treatments storage duration, the defence mechanisms of fruit against pathogens as well as the challenges and opportunities of omics data analysis during postharvest.…”