Positive Regulation of the Transcription of AchnKCS by a bZIP Transcription Factor in Response to ABA-Stimulated Suberization of Kiwifruit

Wound-induced suberization is an essentially protective healing process for wounded fruit to reduce water loss and microbial infection. It has been demonstrated that abscisic acid (ABA) could promote wound suberization, but the molecular mechanism of ABA regulation remains little known. In this study, the transcript level of Achn030011 (designated as AchnKCS), coding a beta-ketoacyl-coenzyme A synthase (KCS) involved in suberin biosynthesis, was found to be significantly upregulated by ABA in wounded kiwifruit. A bZIP transcription factor (Achn270881), a possible downstream transcription factor in the ABA signaling pathway, was screened and designated as AchnbZIP12 according to its homology with related Arabidopsis transcription factors. A yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated that AchnbZIP12 could interact with the AchnKCS promoter. Furthermore, significant trans-activation of AchnbZIP12 on AchnKCS was verified. The transcript level of AchnbZIP12 was also upregulated upon treatment with ABA. These results imply that AchnbZIP12 acts as a positive regulator in ABA-mediated AchnKCS transcription during wound suberization of kiwifruit.