Research report: The regulatory role of DzERF94 in carotenoid biosynthesis during ripening in durian (Durio zibethinus) pulp

A comparative molecular study of four durian cultivars identified the AP2/ERF-family transcription factor DzERF94 as a regulator associated with carotenoid accumulation during ripening. In the pale-yellow cultivar Kathoei Nueakhao, DzERF94 and the carotenoid biosynthetic gene DzLCYE remained expressed at the ripe stage, and the fruit accumulated the highest lutein content among the four cultivars examined. Researchers used expression profiling to follow genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and the AP2/ERF transcription-factor family during durian fruit development and ripening.

The analysis revealed distinct patterns among the cultivars. Kathoei Nueakhao was the only one in which both DzERF94 and DzLCYE remained expressed at ripeness. Its combination of continued expression and high lutein content connected the transcription factor, a biosynthetic gene and the measured pigment outcome, although the comparative experiment alone did not establish causation.

The investigators tested the regulatory relationship in a functional system by transiently expressing DzERF94 in tomatoes. Transformed fruit had increased transcript levels for the corresponding LCYE gene and greater lutein content. A dual-luciferase assay then showed that DzERF94 activated the DzLCYE promoter, while an electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated binding to that promoter in vitro.

These complementary results provide functional evidence that DzERF94 can regulate LCYE expression and affect lutein accumulation. Transcriptome analysis of the transiently transformed tomatoes indicated that DzERF94 also influenced broader patterns of gene expression associated with carotenoid metabolism, ethylene signaling and abscisic acid signaling. The reported findings therefore connect DzERF94 with more than one metabolic and hormonal pathway in the experimental fruit system.

The tomato assays provide the functional test of the proposed interaction; the four-cultivar durian analysis establishes the association between the regulatory genes and lutein accumulation in the original fruit.

Subject of Research: Molecular regulation of lutein biosynthesis by DzERF94 during durian fruit ripening

Article Title: The regulatory role of DzERF94 in carotenoid biosynthesis during ripening in durian (Durio zibethinus) pulp

Article References: Tantisuwanichkul, K., Sucharitakul, J., & Sirikantaramas, S. (2026). The regulatory role of DzERF94 in carotenoid biosynthesis during ripening in durian (Durio zibethinus) pulp. Plant Cell Reports, 45(11), Article 338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-026-04029-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s00299-026-04029-8

Keywords: durian, DzERF94, DzLCYE, lutein, carotenoids, fruit ripening, transcription factor, gene regulation, tomato, regulatory, role, carotenoid