Peaches' Cold Resistance: The Role of PpZAT12

Ever wonder how peaches stay fresh during cold storage? Scientists found a protein called PpZAT12 that helps. This protein is like a commander, telling other proteins what to do. When peaches are treated with heat before being stored in the cold, PpZAT12 becomes more active. This happens more in resistant peach types, like 'Elegant Lady' and 'Rojo 2', than in susceptible ones, like 'Flordaking'. Scientists also put PpZAT12 into Arabidopsis plants to see what happens. These plants grew differently – they were smaller, had delayed aging, and their seeds didn't develop. This showed that PpZAT12 affects plant growth.To understand how PpZAT12 works, scientists looked at proteins that react to it. They found 348 proteins that behave differently when PpZAT12 is present. Some of these proteins also react to a similar protein in Arabidopsis, called AtZAT12. This means PpZAT12 might work in a similar way in both peaches and Arabidopsis. The proteins that PpZAT12 affects could be why some peach types are better at handling the cold. Understanding this could help make all peaches better at staying fresh in the fridge.