Advances in the Regulation of Fruit Development by Polyamines

doi:10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-1298

Abstract

Abstract:

Polyamines (PAs), a class of small aliphatic nitrogenous bases with high biological activity ubiquitously present in plants, act as important endogenous bioactive substances and exert crucial regulatory effects throughout the entire process of fruit development. Studies have shown that PAs not only directly participate in plant flower bud differentiation, fruit set and fruit development, but also jointly regulate fruit ripening and senescence through interactions with phytohormones such as ethylene. This paper systematically reviews the regulatory roles of PAs in different stages of fruit development, including the effects of dynamic changes in PA concentrations on flower bud differentiation, pollen germination, pollen tube growth, fruit set, and the early stages of fruit development. Meanwhile, it summarizes the regulatory effects of PAs on fruit cell division and expansion, and discusses their roles in modulating the processes of fruit ripening and senescence. In addition, this paper further explores the application potential of PAs in agricultural production, including their value in improving fruit yield, quality and extending shelf life. It also prospects the application of artificial intelligence-assisted gene editing technology for the precise regulation of plant endogenous PA biosynthetic, metabolic and transport pathways to optimize the PA metabolic network and realize fruit quality improvement, thus proposing new strategies for emerging biotechnological research directions such as fruit quality modification and breeding. In conclusion, this paper systematically summarizes the important roles of PAs in all stages of fruit development and deepens the understanding of the PA regulatory network. Concurrently, it discusses the agricultural application of PAs and their integration with emerging technologies, which provides important theoretical support and new ideas for fruit quality improvement and the sustainable development of the fruit industry.

Key words: polyamine, fruit development, AI-assisted, postharvest preservation, ethylene, gene editing, quality improvement

HU Qiu-ling, CHEN Ling, HUANG Jia-yi, ZHAO Zi-qiao, PAN Lu-yi, LIU Hui-li, LIU Tai-bo. Advances in the Regulation of Fruit Development by Polyamines[J]. Biotechnology Bulletin, 2026, 42(3): 203-212.

Figures/Tables 2

Fig. 1 Polyamine homeostasis regulatory networkPutrescine (Put) serves as the core of polyamine synthesis, with its synthetic pathways including the arginine (Arg) pathway and the ornithine (Orn) pathway. Put combines with the aminopropyl group of decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (dcSAM) to form the triamine spermidine (Spd), which is further converted into the tetraamines spermine (Spm) and thermospermine (T-Spm). The catabolism of polyamines mainly relies on diamine oxidase (DAO) and polyamine oxidase (PAO). ADC: Arginine decarboxylase. AIH: Agmatine ureohydrolase. NCP: N-carbamoylputrescine. NCPAH: N-carbamoylputrescine amidase. ARGAH: Arginase. ODC: Ornithine decarboxylase. SAMS: S-adenosylmethionine synthetase. SAMDC: S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. SPDS: Spermidine synthase. SPMS: Spermine synthase. ACL5: Thermospermine synthase. PAO: Polyamine oxidase. CuAO: Copper ammonia oxidase. ΔPyrroline: Delta-pyrroline

Fig. 2 Homeostatic regulation of polyamine and ethylene contents in fruitsThe polyamine and ethylene synthesis pathways regulate the dynamic changes of polyamine and ethylene contents in plants by competing for the common substrate S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and maintaining this dynamic balance is crucial for the development and ripening processes of fruits. MET: Methionine. SAM: S-adenosylmethionine. MTA: 5′-methylthioadenosine. MTR: 5′-methylthioribose. ACS: ACC synthase. ACC: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. ACO: ACC oxidase. ETH: Ethylene. ADC: Arginine decarboxylase. AIH: Agmatine iminohydrolase. NCP: N-carbamoylputrescine. ARGAH: Arginase. ODC: Ornithine decarboxylase. Arg: Arginine. Orn: Ornithine. Agm: Agmatine. SAMDC: S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. SPDS: Spermidine synthase. SPMS: Spermine synthase. ACL5: Thermospermine synthase. PAO: Polyamine oxidase. SPDS: Spermidine synthase. SPMS: Spermine synthase. Put: Putrescine. Spd: Spermidine. Spm: Spermine

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