Abstract:Great concern is focused on fruit softening since it occurs soon after harvest. It is generally accepted that fruit softening is due to the hydrolysis of cell wall components mediated by enzymes such as polygalacturonase, pectinesterase, cellulase, etc. Advances in studies of these enzymes and their role during fruit ripening and softening are summarized. Antisense RNA transgenic fruits showed that the fruits softened normally when gene expression in each of these enzymes was inhibited, which indicated that other factors may attribute to fruit softening． Several evidences indicated that turgor chan ge caused by amylase and invertase and the solution of pectin play role in fruit softening.