CsMYC2 is involved in the regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis induced by trypsin in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) during storage

Trypsin has a new activity of scavenging superoxide anion and generating hydrogen peroxide. Trypsin can significantly improve the storage quality of C. sativus. To illustrate the mechanism of trypsin-induced resistance in fruits and vegetables, an integrated analysis of widely targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics was carried out. Transcriptomic results showed that 1068 genes highly related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis gathered in the brown module were obtained by WGCNA. In KEGG analysis, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were also highly enriched in EIP (Environmental Information Processing) pathways Plant hormone signal transduction (map04075) and MAPK signaling pathway-plant (map04016). Next, 87 genes were identified as the leading edge by GSEA analysis. So far, CsMYC2 was highlighted as a key transcription factor that regulates phenyl-propanoid biosynthesis identified by GSEA and WGCNA. Furthermore, the major route of biosynthesis of phe-nylpropanoid compounds including coumarins, lignins, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, and derivatives regulated by trypsin was also illustrated by both transcriptomic and metabolomic data. Results of O2PLS showed that CsMYC2 was positively correlated with Rosmarinic acid-3-O-glucoside, Epigallocatechin, Quercetin-3-O-sophoroside (Baimaside), and so on. Correlation between CsMYC2, phenylpropanoid related genes, and me-tabolites in C. sativus was illustrated by co-expression networks. Roles of CsMYC2 were further checked in C. sativus by VIGS. The results of this study might give new insight into the exploration of the postharvest resistance mechanism of C. sativus induced by trypsin and provide useful information for the subsequent mining of resistance genes in C. sativus.

Automated summary

Trypsin has new activity in scavenging superoxide anion and generating hydrogen peroxide, significantly improving the storage quality of C. sativus. Integrated analysis of wide-targeted metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed the mechanism of trypsin-induced resistance in fruits and vegetables, identifying key genes and pathways involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis regulated by trypsin.