Identification of the cell wall proteins associated with the softening of Lycium barbarum L. fruit by using iTRAQ technology.

Excessive softening of Lycium barbarum L. (LBL) fruit can limit the storage and transportation of fresh fruit. To better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of fruit softening in LBL, changes in the pre-climacteric (S1) and post-climacteric (S2) proteomes were investigated by iTRAQ methods. The 14-fold reduction in S2 fruit firmness compared to S1 was accompanied by increased espiratory intensity and degradation of cell wall components. A total of 258 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, which were mainly associated with photosynthesis, carbohydrate, amino acids and fatty acids metabolism. From the functional proteomic analysis, enhanced energy metabolisms, such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and citrate cycle (TCA cycle) contributed to cell wall degradation and conversion to substrates for respiratory metabolism, leading to fruit softening. These findings have provided new insights into the molecular pathways associated with fruit softening in LBL and the bioinformatics analyses provided insightful information for further transcriptional studies.