Altered Protein Expression in Peach (Prunus persica) Following Fruit Bagging

Fruit bagging has been widely practiced in peach cultivation to produce high quality and unblemished fruit. Moreover, fruit bagging has been utilized to study the effect of shading on the quality of fruit. We conducted a proteomic analysis on peach fruit to elucidate the biochemical and physiological events that characterize the effect of bagging treatment. Comparative analysis of 2D electrophoresis (2-DE) gels showed that relative protein levels differed significantly at 125 DAFB (days after full bloom), as well as at 133 DAFB in fruit that had been bagged until 125 DAFB, followed by exposure to sunlight. Most of the proteins with altered expression were identified by MALDI TOF/TOF. Twenty-one proteins with differential expression among the groups were identified at 125 DAFB, while thirty proteins with differential expression among the groups were identified at 133 DAFB. The analysis revealed that expression of proteins involved in photosynthesis, stress responses, and biochemical processes influencing metabolism were altered during bagging treatment, suggesting that regulation of the synthesis of carbohydrates, amino acids, and proteins influenced fruit size, solid/acid ratio, and peel color. This work provides the first characterization of proteomic changes in peach in response to fruit bagging treatment. Identifying and tracking protein changes may allow us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of bagging treatment.