Ma, QuanLi, DongRen, YichengGanguly, Diep R.Hu, HaoHuang, ChenyangCao, JieChen, YanpeiTan, JiaxingGregory, Brian D.Liu, JianzhaoLuo, Zisheng2026-06-112026-06-111040-4651PubMed:41949125ORCID:/0000-0001-6746-0181/work/217150006https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733810668Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs) are widely present in prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcriptomes. However, their regulation during development remains unclear. Here, we investigated NAD-RNA regulation during receptacle ripening in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Fa), a model for nonclimacteric fruit ripening. We performed “click reaction”-based sequencing of NAD-RNAs (SPAAC-NAD-seq) to globally profile NAD-RNAs during ripening. This identified 9,109 NAD-RNAs produced from protein-coding genes (NAD-mRNAs), 6,479 from transposable elements (NAD-TE-RNAs), 4 from the mitochondrial genome, and 11 from the chloroplast genome. The number of NAD-RNAs tended to decrease, corresponding with lower abundance of the NAD+ cap during ripening. In addition, we characterized the function of the NAD-RNA scavenger Nudix (Nucleoside diphosphate linked moiety X)-Type Motif 19 (FaNUDT19). FaNUDT19 expression increased approximately 3.5-fold during ripening. Biochemically, FaNUDT19 could hydrolyze multiple 5′ caps, including NAD+, ATP, AMP, and m7G caps, with the strongest activity on NAD-RNAs. Indeed, FaNUDT19 overexpression in strawberry selectively affected a subset of NAD-mRNAs, allowing for the persistence of stable levels of ripening-related genes, such as PEROXIDASE (FaPOD). These results suggest that FaNUDT19 affects strawberry ripening by stabilizing mRNAs that produce proteins promoting coloration. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of dynamic NAD+ decapping by FaNUDT19 in strawberry ripening.enPublisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)202610.1093/plcell/koag102105038624954