Multi-omics reveals mechanism of combined L-cysteine and GABA in loquat postharvest quality
- 1College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
Abstract
Loquat is highly susceptible to postharvest deterioration, including browning and lignification, which limits its storage life. This study investigated the effects of combined L-cysteine (L-Cys) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment on postharvest quality maintenance of loquat fruit and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Physiological assessments revealed that the combined treatment significantly delayed fruit softening, reduced weight loss and browning, suppressed decay incidence, and maintained higher levels of soluble solids, titratable acidity, and total phenolics. Integrated multi-omics analysis demonstrated that L-Cys+GABA treatment primarily modulated the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, leading to suppressed lignin biosynthesis through coordinated downregulation of key biosynthetic genes (COMT, CCR, LAC) and reduced accumulation of corresponding metabolites. These findings reveal that L-Cys+GABA combined treatment delays postharvest senescence in loquat fruit by targeting the phenylpropanoid pathway to inhibit lignification, providing a physiological and molecular basis for its application as an effective preservation strategy.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026multiomics,
title = {{Multi-omics reveals mechanism of combined L-cysteine and GABA in loquat postharvest quality}},
author = {Huifen Zhang and Jing Pu and Miao Wang and Ying Du and Xiaofu Tang and Jie Niu and Hongxia Wang and Xian Luo and Yongqing Wang and Qunxian Deng},
journal = {NPJ Science of Food},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41538-026-00940-2},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00940-2},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multi-omics reveals mechanism of combined L-cysteine and GABA in loquat postharvest quality
AU - Huifen Zhang
AU - Jing Pu
AU - Miao Wang
AU - Ying Du
AU - Xiaofu Tang
AU - Jie Niu
AU - Hongxia Wang
AU - Xian Luo
AU - Yongqing Wang
AU - Qunxian Deng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/03
JO - NPJ Science of Food
DO - 10.1038/s41538-026-00940-2
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00940-2
AB - Loquat is highly susceptible to postharvest deterioration, including browning and lignification, which limits its storage life. This study investigated the effects of combined L-cysteine (L-Cys) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment on postharvest quality maintenance of loquat fruit and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Physiological assessments revealed that the combined treatment significantly delayed fruit softening, reduced weight loss and browning, suppressed decay incidence, and maintained higher levels of soluble solids, titratable acidity, and total phenolics. Integrated multi-omics analysis demonstrated that L-Cys+GABA treatment primarily modulated the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, leading to suppressed lignin biosynthesis through coordinated downregulation of key biosynthetic genes (COMT, CCR, LAC) and reduced accumulation of corresponding metabolites. These findings reveal that L-Cys+GABA combined treatment delays postharvest senescence in loquat fruit by targeting the phenylpropanoid pathway to inhibit lignification, providing a physiological and molecular basis for its application as an effective preservation strategy.
SN - 2396-8370
ER -