Low temperatures inhibit the pectin degradation of ‘Docteur Jules Guyot’ pear (Pyrus communis L.)

The most remarkable characteristic of European pears is extremely perishable and difficult to store after postharvest softening. Low-temperature storage is one of the most commonly used methods to prolong the shelf life of European pears. However, the regulatory mechanism of the low-temperature delay of the softening of European pears is still unclear. In this study, the fruit firmness, pectin polysaccharide content, pectin-degrading enzyme activity, and pectin degradation gene expression of ‘Docteur Jules Guyot’ pears under low temperature (LT) and room temperature (RT) were analyzed. It was found that water-soluble pectin (WSP) was significantly negatively correlated with fruit flesh firmness, and the activities of several pectin-degrading enzymes were inhibited under LT storage conditions. In addition, it was also found that the gene expression patterns of PcPME2, PcPME3, PcPG1, PcPG2, PcPL, PcGAL1, PcGAL2, PcGAL4, and PcARF1 were inhibited by LT. The C-repeat binding factors PcCBF1 and PcCBF2 were also inhibited by long-term LT storage. Correlation analysis showed that the expression of PcCBFs was positively correlated with pectin-degradation enzyme genes, and we found that the promoters of many pectin-degradation enzyme genes contain the CRT/DRE motif, which CBF can directly bind. Therefore, it is speculated that long-term low-temperature conditions inhibit pectin degradation through PcCBFs.