Research Progress on Fruit Surface Wax Synthesis and Its Regulation by APETALA2/Ethylene-Responsive Factors

Wax plays an important role in maintaining good appearance, quality and nutrients of fruits, delaying fruit senescence and prolonging fruit shelf life. As an important plant hormone, ethylene participates in stress signaling responses and regulates the process of fruit growth, development, ripening and senescence. At present, the pathway of fruit wax synthesis and transport has been gradually clarified, and the wax synthase and transporter genes involved in this pathway have been gradually identified and verified. The expression of these genes may be regulated by ethylene and the ethylene signaling system. Therefore, this review focuses on summarizing recent progress in research on the synthesis and regulation of fruit wax, ethylene regulation of horticultural crop fruit wax synthesis, and the regulatory effect of APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factors (AP2/ERFs) on fruit wax synthesis in model plants, agricultural crops and horticultural crops, in order to provide useful information for understanding the structural genes and AP2/ERFs transcription factors involved in regulating wax synthesis.