Cowpea ( (L.) Walp) is prone to water loss and shriveling after harvest. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as a generator of nitric oxide acts as a senescence retarding agent. In this study, the influence of SNP on cowpea senescence during storage at 15 °C for 8 d has been investigated. SNP treatment (0.3 mM) decreased the mass loss and maintained the hardness, total chlorophyll, and vitamin C content of the cowpeas. SNP suppressed the expression of the genes involved in ethylene signaling (, , ), cell wall disassembly (, , ), and the lignin synthesis genes (, , and ), while inducing the expression of defense and resistance-related genes (, , , , and ). The major differentially accumulated metabolites in SNP-treated cowpeas were flavonoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids. SNP-induced differentially expressed proteins that are involved in lignification (4CL, CAD, and POD), texture-related processes (PL5, PE, and EG), and disease resistance (PBSI, PR1, and SCP). Overall, the study revealed that SNP-generated NO suppressed ethylene signaling, inhibited lignin accumulation, regulated wax, suberin, and cuticle biosynthesis, and enhanced defense processes, resulting in higher-quality cowpeas than those of the untreated controls.

中文翻译：

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硝普钠 (SNP) 产生的一氧化氮可延缓豇豆 (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) 的衰老

豇豆 ((L.) Walp) 收获后容易失水和枯萎。硝普钠 (SNP) 作为一氧化氮生成剂，可作为延缓衰老剂。本研究探讨了SNP对豇豆在15℃保存8天期间衰老的影响。 SNP 处理 (0.3 mM) 减少了豇豆的质量损失并保持了硬度、总叶绿素和维生素 C 含量。 SNP 抑制参与乙烯信号传导 (, , )、细胞壁分解 (, , ) 和木质素合成基因 (, , 和 ) 的基因表达，同时诱导防御和抗性相关基因 (, , , ， 和 ）。 SNP 处理的豇豆中主要差异积累的代谢物是类黄酮、酚酸和生物碱。 SNP 诱导的差异表达蛋白参与木质化（4CL、CAD 和 POD）、纹理相关过程（PL5、PE 和 EG）以及抗病性（PBSI、PR1 和 SCP）。总体而言，该研究表明，SNP 产生的 NO 抑制乙烯信号传导，抑制木质素积累，调节蜡、木栓质和角质层生物合成，并增强防御过程，从而产生比未经处理的对照更高品质的豇豆。