Advances in Epigenetic Modifications Regulating Fleshy Fruit Ripening

Fleshy fruits are highly favored by consumers owing to their tender, juicy texture, and abundant nutritional components. The fleshy fruit ripening is an extremely complex and highly programmed physiological and biochemical process, which directly determines the fleshy fruit nutritional quality, commercial value, and shelf life. Therefore, it is of great significance to comprehensively elucidate the regulatory network underlying fruit ripening. In recent years, with the rapid advancement and application of genomics technologies, a growing body of research has shed light on the extensive involvement of epigenetic modifications in the precise regulation of fleshy fruit ripening. However, systematic reviews and comprehensive summaries in this research field remain insufficient to date. The analysis revealed that current relevant studies have mainly focused on how epigenetic modifications modulate fleshy fruit ripening-including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA regulation. Moreover, extensive crosstalk exists among different types of epigenetic modifications and transcriptional regulatory networks, underlying sophisticated and diverse internal molecular mechanisms. In the future, on the basis of in-depth dissection of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms governing fleshy fruit ripening, it is feasible to comprehensively construct the molecular regulatory network of fruit ripening. Combined with epigenetic genetic manipulation, this will enable multi-dimensional and precise modulation of the ripening process of fleshy fruits.