Dynamic abundances of m7G, m5C and m1A mRNA modifications are associated with tomato fruit quality following harvest

Abstract

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) modifications play diverse roles in living organisms, and accumulating evidence reveals their significance in fruit development and ripening. However, the extent of their involvement in regulating postharvest fruit quality remains largely unknown. In this study, we characterized typical changes of tomato fruit following one-week storage, in which fruit got more pigmentation, lose fresh weight, reduced firmness and ethylene production, accompanied by decreased expression of genes related to these processes. We profiled the abundances of seven types of RNA modifications in tomato fruit at the beginning and end of the storage period, by digesting RNAs and quantifying individual nucleoside in LC-MS/MS. We observed dynamic changes of N⁷-methylguanosine (m⁷G), 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C) and N¹-methyladenosine (m¹A) mRNA modifications during postharvest storage. Furthermore, we noted a significant decrease in the expression of genes encoding enzymes associated with m⁷G (SlMETTL1, SlMETTL2 and SleIF4E3), m⁵C (SlTRDMT and SlALYREF2, SlYTHDC1), and m¹A (SlYTHDC2A and SlALKBH2) mRNA modifications over the course of fruit storage. Our results unveil the dynamic alterations in mRNA modifications occurring during postharvest tomato fruit storage and imply that these modifications may play roles in regulating the expression of genes contributing to fruit quality.