MADS-Box Transcription Factors PpMADS2 and PpMADS4 Are Crucial Regulators in Climacteric Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) Fruit Ripening.

Overexpression of PpMADS2 and PpMADS4 in pre-ripening peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit accelerates ethylene production, color change, sugar accumulation, and softening.

• Why it matters: Ripening in climacteric fruits depends on ethylene system II autocatalytic burst, but how this burst is activated remains unclear.
• What they did: The study identified PpMADS2 and PpMADS4 as ethylene-induced MADS-box regulators, then used overexpression and silencing in peach fruit and showed PpMADS2–PpMADS4 promoter activation of PpACS1 and PpACO1.
• The result: Ethylene biosynthesis promotes PpMADS2/4 expression, forming positive feedback that amplifies ethylene production and supports system II autocatalytic burst leading to peach maturation.

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