PpERF3 positively regulates ABA biosynthesis by activating PpNCED2/3 transcription during fruit ripening in peach

Abstract

The plant hormone ethylene regulates ripening in climacteric fruits. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) affects ethylene biosynthesis, but whether ethylene influences ABA biosynthesis is unknown. To explore this possibility, we investigated the interactions between the ABA biosynthesis genes <i>PpNCED2/3</i> and the ethylene response transcription factor PpERF3 in peach fruit. The ABA content increased during fruit maturation and reached a peak at stage S4 III. The increase was greatly inhibited by the ethylene inhibitor 1-MCP, which also suppressed <i>PpERF3</i> expression. <i>PpERF3</i> shared a similar expression profile with <i>PpNCED2/3</i>, encoding a rate-limiting enzyme involved in ABA biosynthesis, during fruit ripening. A yeast one-hybrid assay suggested that the nuclear-localized PpERF3 might bind to the promoters of <i>PpNCED2/3</i>. PpERF3 increased the expression of <i>PpNCED2/3</i> as shown by dual-luciferase reporters, promoter-GUS assays and transient expression analyses in peach fruit. Collectively, these results suggest that ethylene promotes ABA biosynthesis through PpERF3's regulation of the expression of ABA biosynthesis genes <i>PpNCED2/3</i>.