New insights into aroma regulation in pear peel and flesh under methyl jasmonate treatment obtained by metabolite and whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing analyses

Aroma synthesis is a complex biological process that can be regulated by hormones, and treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can improve pear fruit aroma synthesis. However, the molecular mechanism, particularly the role of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), remains unknown. Here, we performed metabolite and whole-transcriptome RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of 'Nanguo' pear peel and flesh treated with MeJA. The metabolite analysis results showed that MeJA treatment activated three aroma synthesis pathways in 'Nanguo' pear peel and flesh, namely, the biosynthesis pathways of lipoxygenase (LOX), methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) and Shikimate. We further analyzed and constructed the associated competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and miRNA-TF-target regulatory networks related to these three pathways in the peel and flesh of 'Nanguo' pear fruit. Our results elucidated the physiological response of pear fruit under MeJA treatment and revealed the molecular basis of pear aroma biosynthesis in response to exogenous stimuli. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of the gene regulation networks potentially involved in pear aroma responses to MeJA treatment, which will help improve the fruit aroma quality of pear.