MaCDPK7, a calcium-dependent protein kinase gene from banana is involved in fruit ripening and temperature stress responses

Calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) is an important Ca2+ sensor in plant development and responses to stress stimuli. Banana fruit is a typical climacteric- and chilling-sensitive fruit. The roles of CDPK genes in the ripening and chilling response of banana fruit are unclear. We isolated a cDNA fragment with full-length coding MaCDPK7 (HM061075) from fruit peel tissue. Induction of MaCDPK7 expression in fruit peel was observed 0.5 h after phytohormone ethylene treatment, earlier than the up-regulation of MaACO1 and MaACS1, coding a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, respectively. Penetration of calcium signaling blockers, EGTA, or LaCl3 inhibited the ripening and gene expression of MaCDPK7, MaACO1, and MaACS1 in the in vitro cultured peel pieces, but Ca2+ application removed the inhibitory effect of EGTA and LaCl3. This suggested that MaCDPK7 might be a positive regulator involved in the calcium signaling in banana fruit ripening. Under temperature stresses, we found that MaCDPK7 gene expression increased 3 h after hot water dipping (HWD). The HWD-treated fruits exhibited markedly less chilling injury (CI) than control fruits in cold storage. Stored at 7°C (CI temperature) dramatically increased MaCDPK7 gene expression, while pre-treatment of HWD repressed the induction in cold storage. These results show that the MaCDPK7 gene is involved in regulating banana fruit ripening and chilling resistance induced by heat treatment.