The cation/H+ exchanger ChCAX3 fine-tunes fruit ripening by modulating cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis in Cerasus humilis.

Overexpression of ChCAX3 in tomato delays fruit ripening by approximately 14 days through increased Ca2+ accumulation and modulation of ethylene-related pathways.

• Why it matters: Understanding how calcium transport influences fruit ripening can help improve shelf life and nutritional quality, addressing challenges of synchronized ripening and short storage duration in calcium-rich crops.
• What they did: The study identified ChCAX3 as a vacuolar cation/H+ exchanger with high expression in fruit tissues, validated its Ca2+ transport activity, and demonstrated that its overexpression affects ripening timing and fruit physiology.
• The result: ChCAX3 enhances Ca2+ sequestration, delays ethylene biosynthesis, and maintains fruit firmness, suggesting it as a potential target for extending shelf life and improving fruit quality through Ca2+ signaling regulation.