Assessment of the subcellular generation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in fleshy fruits: Tomato and pepper

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a molecule that has acquired great relevance in the physiology of higher plants. H2S can exert signaling functions and participate in almost all plant physiological processes (seed germination, growth and development, stomatal movement, senescence, flowering, and fruit ripening) as well as in the mechanism of response against abiotic and biotic stresses. At the biochemical level, H2S mediates regulatory function through a posttranslational modification (PTMs) of proteins, called persufidation because it operates as cysteine-based redox switches. As part of sulfur metabolism, H2S is generated by multiple enzymes present in the different subcellular compartments including cytosol, plastids, and mitochondria. Horticultural crops are of great global importance, being tomato and pepper representative species of the Solanaceae family. Based on the information available in the different databases, this chapter aims to provide an assessment of H2S biochemical compartmentalization in tomatoes and peppers fruits which are representative types of climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits, respectively. Furthermore, it evaluates the potential biotechnological applications of H2S during the postharvest storage of fleshy fruits.