Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 111-132.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-1450

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Key Regulatory Genes and Molecular Networks Dissection Underlying Strawberry Fruit Quality Formation

ZHAO Yan-xia1(), LI Qian2, SUN Jia-bo1, LIANG Hong-min1, LI Bing-bing2()   

  1. 1.Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of East China Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Engineering Research Center of Ecological Horticultural Plant Breeding, Jinan 250100
    2.College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193
  • Received:2025-12-30 Online:2026-03-26 Published:2026-04-23
  • Contact: LI Bing-bing E-mail:zhaoyanxia2368@sina.com;libingbing@cau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), one of the world’s most economically important berry crops, its fruit quality is determined jointly by multiple traits such as appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritional composition. Commercial value and industrial competitiveness are directly influenced by these traits. In order to overcome the limitations of traditional breeding, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying fruit quality formation have been systematically investigated, and this has been recognized as a foundational requirement for molecular design breeding. In this review, the genetic regulatory basis of key fruit quality traits, including color, firmness, size, sugar-acid balance, aroma compounds, and antioxidant constituents, has been comprehensively summarized. The central roles of transcription factors such as MYB, NAC, and WRKY in multi-level regulatory networks governing quality formation have been revealed. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that abscisic acid is utilized as a core hormone, while auxin and gibberellin are involved in synergistic or antagonistic interactions to regulate fruit ripening and quality metabolism at the molecular level. Environmental factors such as temperature and light have been shown to affect hormone signaling and transcriptional factor activity, and consequently, fruit quality formation has been modulated through these pathways. Current studies have been conducted based on diploid wild strawberries, whereas evident deficiencies have been identified in research concerning multiallelic interactions, complex regulatory networks, and genotype-environment interactions in octoploid cultivars. In future investigations, multi-omics technologies, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and artificial intelligence-based predictive models are expected to be integrated so that allelic variation functions within key regulatory networks of cultivated strawberry can be deeply dissected. Practical molecular markers are anticipated to be developed, and intelligent design breeding systems are to be constructed, thereby enabling the targeted breeding of novel strawberry varieties that exhibit enhanced stress tolerance, high yield, simplified cultivation, superior quality, and seed propagation capacity to meet future industrial needs.​ A theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement of strawberry quality has been provided by this review, and reference has also been offered for quality regulation research in other horticultural crops.

Key words: strawberry, fruit quality, transcriptional regulation, genetic variation, molecular mechanism, transcription factor, plant hormones, environmental factors