Differential expression of kiwifruit ERF genes in response to postharvest abiotic stress

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play important roles in fruit ripening and abiotic stress response. After harvest, fruit such as kiwifruit are subject to a range of stresses associated with postharvest handling and storage treatments. There have been few attempts to evaluate fruit ERF responses in relation to such abiotic stress. Stress treatments including low temperature (0 degrees C), high temperature (35 degrees C), high CO2 (5%) and high water loss (similar to 10% RH air) were applied to freshly harvested mature kiwifruit. Expression patterns of 13 AdERF genes were followed. In response to the abiotic stresses, AdERF3, AdERF4, AdERF11, AdERF12 and AdERF14 were constitutively up-regulated, and AdERF1 was generally down-regulated, while the other AdERF genes showed no regular expression patterns. These data showed that AdERF genes differentially respond to abiotic stresses experienced by fruit during postharvest storage. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.