Ethylene-Mediated Regulation of a Ripening-Specific N-glycan-processing enzyme β-D-N-Acetylhexosaminidase.

N-glycoproteins in plants play a critical role in various biological processes such as plant stress response, seed development, and fruit ripening. Further, N-glycans and N-glycan-processing enzymes have been identified as critical regulators of fruit ripening in various fruit crop including tomato. Fruit ripening, a multifaceted process influenced by diverse factors is controlled by the upregulation of cell wall degradation enzymes. Among these, N-glycan-processing enzymes, specifically β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase (β-Hex), are involved in ripening-associated fruit softening, and its suppression enhances fruit shelf life and firmness in both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. Ethylene is among the various factors that regulates the ripening-specific expression of β-Hex. Notably, ethylene response factor 6 (SlERF6), also known as SlERF.E4, has been identified as a potential transcriptional regulator of β-Hex expression. However, in order to get deeper insights, a thorough understanding of the specific ethylene-mediated control of β-Hex during ripening is crucial. Thus, we present a protocol for investigating the ethylene-mediated regulation of this crucial ripening-related enzyme β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase.