Climacteric fruits are characterized by a dramatic increase in autocatalytic ethylene production that is accompanied by a spike in respiration at the onset of ripening. The change in the mode of ethylene production from autoinhibitory to autostimulatory is known as the System 1 (S1) to System 2 (S2) transition. Existing physiological models explain the basic and overarching genetic, hormonal, and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms governing the S1 to S2 transition of climacteric fruit. However, the links between ethylene and respiration, the two main factors that characterize the respiratory climacteric, have not been examined in detail at the molecular level. Results of recent studies indicate that the alternative oxidase (AOX) respiratory pathway may play an essential role in mediating cross-talk between ethylene response, carbon metabolism, ATP production, and ROS signaling during climacteric ripening. New genomic, metabolic, and epigenetic information sheds light on the interconnectedness of ripening metabolic pathways, necessitating an expansion of the current, ethylene-centric physiological models. Understanding points at which ripening responses can be manipulated may reveal key, species- and cultivar-specific targets for regulation of ripening, enabling superior strategies for reducing postharvest wastage.

更冷的果实的特征在于自催化乙烯产量的急剧增加，伴随着成熟开始时的呼吸峰值。乙烯生产模式从自动抑制到自动刺激的变化称为系统1（S1）到系统2（S2）的转变。现有的生理学模型解释了控制更年期水果从S1过渡到S2的基本和总体的遗传，激素和转录调控机制。然而，乙烯和呼吸之间的联系是表征呼吸更年期的两个主要因素，尚未在分子水平上进行详细研究。最近的研究结果表明，替代氧化酶（AOX）呼吸途径可能在介导乙烯反应，碳代谢，更年期成熟过程中的ATP产生和ROS信号传导。新的基因组，代谢和表观遗传学信息为成熟的代谢途径之间的相互联系提供了线索，从而有必要扩展当前以乙烯为中心的生理模型。了解可以操纵成熟反应的点，可以揭示关键的，物种和品种特定的成熟调控靶标，从而为减少收获后浪费提供了更好的策略。