<i>PpMYB123</i> -mediated proanthocyanidin accumulation alleviates bacterial spot disease in peach

Abstract Bacterial spot (BS) disease significantly impairs vigor, fruit quality, and yield in peach trees. However, research on this disease remains limited. In this study, peach leaves and fruits were inoculated with the pathogen isolated from infected leaves, triggering a robust accumulation of proanthocyanidins (PA) in both tissues. Further investigation revealed that pathogen inoculation promoted PA accumulation by upregulating PpMYB123, which transactivated the core PA biosynthetic genes PpANR and PpLAR. Notably, the E3 ubiquitin ligase PpPUB23 negatively regulated PpMYB123. However, its transcript levels were significantly suppressed following inoculation, thereby stabilizing PpMYB123 and enhancing PA production. PA conferred dual protection by scavenging excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suppressing pathogen growth. Our findings provide molecular evidence for PA-mediated defense against BS disease in peach.