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Molecular and genetic regulation of fruit ripening

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Abstract

Fleshy fruit undergo a novel developmental program that ends in the irreversible process of ripening and eventual tissue senescence. During this maturation process, fruit undergo numerous physiological, biochemical and structural alterations, making them more attractive to seed dispersal organisms. In addition, advanced or over-ripening and senescence, especially through tissue softening and eventual decay, render fruit susceptible to invasion by opportunistic pathogens. While ripening and senescence are often used interchangeably, the specific metabolic activities of each would suggest that ripening is a distinct process of fleshy fruits that precedes and may predispose the fruit to subsequent senescence.

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Acknowledgments

Work in the Giovannoni laboratory was funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the US-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund. NEG was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology.

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  1. Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Nigel E. Gapper

  2. Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Cornell University, Tower Road, Cornell University Campus, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Nigel E. Gapper, Ryan P. McQuinn & James J. Giovannoni

  3. Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Ryan P. McQuinn & James J. Giovannoni

  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agriculture Research Service, Robert W. Holley Center for Nutrition and Health, Cornell University, Tower Road, Cornell University Campus, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    James J. Giovannoni

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Gapper, N.E., McQuinn, R.P. & Giovannoni, J.J. Molecular and genetic regulation of fruit ripening. Plant Mol Biol 82, 575–591 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-013-0050-3

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