Deciphering transcriptional regulators of banana fruit ripening by regulatory network analysis

Fruit ripening is a critical phase in the production and marketing of fruits. Previous studies have indicated that fruit ripening is a highly coordinated process, mainly regulated at the transcriptional level, in which transcription factors play essential roles. Thus, identifying key transcription factors regulating fruit ripening as well as their associated regulatory networks promises to contribute to a better understanding of fruit ripening. In this study, temporal gene expression analyses were performed to investigate banana fruit ripening with the aim to discern the global architecture of gene regulatory networks underlying fruit ripening. Eight time points were profiled covering dynamic changes of phenotypes, the associated physiology and levels of known ripening marker genes. Combining results from a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) as well as cis-motif analysis and supported by EMSA, Y1H, tobacco-, banana-transactivation experimental results, the regulatory network of banana fruit ripening was constructed, from which 25 transcription factors were identified as prime candidates to regulate the ripening process by modulating different ripening-related pathways. Our study presents the first global view of the gene regulatory network involved in banana fruit ripening, which may provide the basis for a targeted manipulation of fruit ripening to attain higher banana and loss-reduced banana commercialization.