Ethylene promotes ester biosynthesis through PuERF13/PuDof2.5 synergically activated PuAAT1 during ripening of cold-stored ‘Nanguo’ pear

Aroma is an important trait of ‘Nanguo’ pear (Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim.), and esters are the main aroma components in the fruit. Refrigeration prolongs the storage period of the fruit but results in evident loss of esters. Here, we treated the refrigerated fruit with 1000 μL L−1 Ethephon solution and found that exogenous ethylene treatment raised the biosynthesis of ten individual esters, and up-regulated the expression of PuAAT1, PuERF13 and PuDof2.5 genes of cold-stored pears. PuDof2.5 activated the transcription of PuAAT1 by binding to its promoter. Moreover, PuERF13 interacted with PuDof2.5, which caused an increase in ester biosynthesis of cold-stored ‘Nanguo’ pear treated with exogenous ethylene. Our findings indicate that ethylene promotes ester production through activation of main gene, PuAAT1, regulated by PuERF13 and PuDof2.5.