Postharvest ultraviolet-C treatment of peach fruit: Changes in transcriptome profile focusing on genes involved in softening and senescence

Peach fruit is susceptible to softening and senescence during storage. In this work, we investigate the changes in genes related to the process of softening and senescence in peach fruit treated with 4 kJ/m(2) ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation based on transcriptome sequencing. A total of 3,416 unigenes with more than twofold difference in expression were identified in the UV-C irradiation versus control. Of these, 1,046 were upregulated and 2,370 were downregulated. UV-C treatment upregulated a series of genes related to antioxidant and defense response and downregulated the expression of genes related to cell wall decomposition, membrane lipid peroxidation, ethylene biosynthesis, and oxidative stress, thus mediating the softening and senescence of peach fruit. The data obtained in our results may be useful for revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of postharvest UV-C treatment on improving the storage quality and prolonging the storage period of peach fruit. Novelty impact statement This work investigates the effect of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment on peach fruit softening and senescence at genomic level. UV-C treatment upregulated genes related to antioxidant and defense response and downregulated the expression of genes related to cell wall decomposition, membrane lipid peroxidation, ethylene biosynthesis, and oxidative stress, thus mediating the softening and senescence of peach fruit. These findings provide information for the understanding of the mechanisms of UV-C radiation on postharvest quality and storage performance of peach fruit.