Green-fruited Solanum habrochaites lacks fruit-specific carotenogenesis due to metabolic and structural blocks.

ABSTRACT: Members of the tomato clade exhibit a wide diversity in fruit color, but the mechanisms governing inter-species diversity of coloration are largely unknown. The carotenoid profiles, carotenogenic gene expression and proteome profiles of green-fruited Solanum habrochaites (SH), orange-fruited S. galapagense, and red-fruited S. pimpinellifolium were compared with cultivated tomato [S. lycopersicum cv. Ailsa Craig (SL)] to decipher the molecular basis of coloration diversity. Green-fruited SH, though it showed normal expression of chromoplast-specific phytoene synthase1 and lycopene ?-cyclase genes akin to orange/red-fruited species, failed to accumulate lycopene and ?-carotene. The SH phytoene synthase1 cDNA encoded an enzymatically active protein, whereas the lycopene ?-cyclase cDNA was barely active. Consistent with its green-fruited nature, SH's fruits retained chloroplast structure and PSII activity, and had impaired chlorophyll degradation with high pheophorbide a levels. Comparison of the fruit proteomes with SL revealed retention of the proteome complement related to photosynthesis in SH. Targeted peptide monitoring revealed a low abundance of key carotenogenic and sequestration proteins in SH compared with tomato. The green-fruitedness of SH appears to stem from blocks at several critical steps regulating fruit-specific carotenogenesis namely the absence of chloroplast to chromoplast transformation, block in carotenoid biosynthesis, and a dearth of carotenoid sequestering proteins.

SUBMITTER: Kilambi HV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5853803 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature