PubMed · 2026-06-06
Scientists identified 49 genes in Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) that control how the fruit pumps acids into its cells, then used gene-editing to confirm that one gene, PmAHA3, directly governs the tartness of the fruit by regulating malic and citric acid levels.
49 P-type ATPase genes were catalogued across the Japanese apricot pan-genome, organized into 6 functional subfamilies with 29 core genes shared across all varieties.
Gene family expansion was driven primarily by whole-genome duplication and dispersed duplication events, with most genes under strong negative (purifying) selection.
Silencing or knocking out PmAHA3 via RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 significantly reduced both malic acid and citric acid content in fruit, confirming its role in organic acid accumulation.
