Poster Presentation International Plant Molecular Biology Conference 2024

Candidate WRKY Transcription Factors Controlling Durian Fruit Ripening (#190)

Bantita Thuankul 1 , Supaart Sirikantaramas 2
  1. Program in Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
  2. Center of Excellence in Molecular Crop, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Numerous transcription factors (TFs) play crucial roles in regulating fruit ripening process to enhance fruit palatability. Despite the diverse functions of WRKY TFs in various plant processes, their participation in fruit ripening has been largely unexplored. To fulfill this research gap, our study focused on conducting transcriptome analysis of WRKY transcription factors associated with fruit ripening in durian, a valuable climacteric fruit of Thailand. From publicly available pulp transcriptome data of the 'Monthong' cultivar, we analyzed the expression patterns of 15 durian WRKYs (DzWRKY) across five developmental and ripening stages. DzWRKY46, 63, and 129 were the top three highest up-regulated during midripe and ripe stages compared to the prior three stages, and were validated by quantitative real-time PCR for their expression levels. The gene co-expression analysis of the three candidates and ripening-related genes revealed significant correlations with some genes like 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase and beta-amylase. Phylogenetic analysis of the amino acid sequences of the 15 DzWRKYs with all WRKY members from Arabidopsis, and ripening-related WRKY from pear and kiwifruit were constructed. Interestingly, DzWRKY63 was in a monophyletic group with the ripening-related pear WRKY in a phylogenetic analysis. In summary, our research highlights the potential role of DzWRKY TFs in fruit ripening, suggesting they are promising candidates for functional characterization and further study. These insights contribute to our understanding of the complex mechanisms involving WRKY TFs in the ripening of fruits.