Trehalose biosynthesis mediated by PeTPS2 alleviates postharvest senescence of Pleurotus eryngii by maintaining cell wall structural homeostasis

Low-temperature storage is widely applied to delay postharvest physiological deterioration in Pleurotus eryngii , its associated regulatory molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, low-temperature stress significantly promoted endogenous trehalose accumulation and induced trehalose metabolic pathway genes, among which PeTPS2 was identified as a key responsive gene. Functional characterization revealed that overexpression of PeTPS2 enhanced trehalose biosynthesis and increased chitin and β-glucan contents, thereby conferring heightened tolerance to low temperature and cell wall stress in P. eryngii . Furthermore, exogenous application of 10 mM trehalose effectively delayed postharvest senescence, accompanied by induced expression of endogenous trehalose biosynthetic genes (particularly PeTPS2 ) and repressed trehalase genes expression. This protective effect coincided with suppressed degradation of chitin and β-1,3-glucan and reduced expression of genes. Overall, these results demonstrate that trehalose alleviates postharvest quality deterioration in P. eryngii by reinforcing cell wall metabolism and structural stability, providing a theoretical basis for the development of metabolism-oriented preservation strategies in edible fungi.