Project description:To evaluate the role of seeds in fruit quality, we induced parthenocarpy in tomato by regulating ovule-specific auxin synthesis or responsiveness using the INO promoter from A. thaliana, which is expressed in the outer layer of the integuments during early stages of ovule development. We compared these to fruit where the same coding regions were expressed from the DeFH9 promoter which is expressed in carpel tissues during early stages of ovule development. Expression of auxin synthesis or responsiveness genes by both of these promoters produced seedless parthenocarpic tomato fruit. We compared fruit samples using the Affymetrix tomato GeneChip (GPL4741) to determine how gene regulation and expression differed between wild-type and transgenic fruit. Keywords: genetic modification
Project description:To evaluate the role of seeds in fruit quality, we induced parthenocarpy in tomato by regulating ovule-specific auxin synthesis or responsiveness using the INO promoter from A. thaliana, which is expressed in the outer layer of the integuments during early stages of ovule development. We compared these to fruit where the same coding regions were expressed from the DeFH9 promoter which is expressed in carpel tissues during early stages of ovule development. Expression of auxin synthesis or responsiveness genes by both of these promoters produced seedless parthenocarpic tomato fruit. We compared fruit samples using the Affymetrix tomato GeneChip (GPL4741) to determine how gene regulation and expression differed between wild-type and transgenic fruit. Experiment Overall Design: Wild-type fruit with seeds was compared with transgenic lines INO-IaaM, DefH9-IaaM, INO-RolB, and DefH9-RolB. To find genes with seed-specific expression, we also compared the control with wild-type fruit from which seeds had been manually removed. We had three biological replicates for each treatment and control except DefH9-RolB, for which only two replicates were available. Each CEL file from the microarray represents one plant from each line.
Project description:Early fruit development is crucial for crop production in tomato. After fertilization, the ovary undergoes a cell division and a cell expansion stages before maturation. Although the roles of regulatory signals such as hormone and carbohydrate during early fruit development have been studied, the spatial distribution and the sequential initiation of these regulatory signals is still poorly understood. Using the cultivated tomato “Moneymaker” as materials, we analyzed the transcriptome of the ovule and the ovary wall dissected from the different stages of the early developing fruits. These datasets provide us the whole picture about the spatial and temporal signal distribution of fruit formation which has not been studied in such a detailed manner. Our results suggest that the hormone signal was initiated in both ovule and ovary wall after fertilization. After that, the different signals were activated in ovule and ovary wall due to their distinct developmental processes. By analyzing the global expression profiling of hormone related genes, we found that the auxin might be synthesized in both ovule and ovary wall after fertilization. The expression pattern of sugar related genes revealed the different carbohydrate metabolism events occurred in ovule and ovary wall. At last, we identified a gene showed tissue and stage specific expression pattern and localized in previously reported fruit weight locus which might be selected during tomato breeding.
Project description:Early fruit development is crucial for crop production in tomato. After fertilization, the ovary undergoes a cell division and a cell expansion stages before maturation. Although the roles of regulatory signals such as hormone and carbohydrate during early fruit development have been studied, the spatial distribution and the sequential initiation of these regulatory signals is still poorly understood. Using the cultivated tomato “Moneymaker” as materials, we analyzed the transcriptome of the ovule and the ovary wall dissected from the different stages of the early developing fruits. These datasets provide us the whole picture about the spatial and temporal signal distribution of fruit formation which has not been studied in such a detailed manner. Our results suggest that the hormone signal was initiated in both ovule and ovary wall after fertilization. After that, the different signals were activated in ovule and ovary wall due to their distinct developmental processes. By analyzing the global expression profiling of hormone related genes, we found that the auxin might be synthesized in both ovule and ovary wall after fertilization. The expression pattern of sugar related genes revealed the different carbohydrate metabolism events occurred in ovule and ovary wall. At last, we identified a gene showed tissue and stage specific expression pattern and localized in previously reported fruit weight locus which might be selected during tomato breeding.
Project description:Fruit set is triggered after ovule fertilization, as a consequence of the downregulation of ovary growth repressors, such as the tomato transcription factors Auxin/indole-3-acetic acid 9 (IAA9) and Agamous-like 6 (AGL6). We produced small RNA libraries from IAA9- and AGL6-silenced ovaries to identify miRNAs differentially expressed in IAA9- and AGL6-silenced ovaries as compared with unpollinated control ovaries. The identified miRNAs represent a pool of regulatory sRNAs potentially involved in tomato fruit initiation.
Project description:The function of the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) in development of tomato flowers was analyzed with a mutant defective in JA perception (jasmonate-insensitive1-1, jai1-1). In contrast to Arabidopsis JA-insensitive plants that are male sterile, the tomato mutant jai1-1 exhibits major defects in female development resulting in female sterility. To identify putative JA-dependent regulatory components, transcriptomics was performed using isolated ovules of three different stages of flower development, from both wild type and jai1-1. Among the strongly down-regulated genes in jai1-1, one encoding a MYB transcription factor (SlMYB21) was found. Its orthologue in Arabidopsis has a crucial role in JA-regulated stamen development. SlMYB21 showed transcription factor activity in yeast, interaction with SlJAZ9 in yeast and in planta, and complemented the Arabidopsis mutant myb21-5. To analyze SlMYB21 function in tomato ovule development, CRISPR/Cas9 mutants were created and a TILLING mutant was identified, all showing female sterility and therefore corroborating a function of MYB21 in tomato ovule development. Transcriptomics from wild type, jai1-1 and myb21-2 carpels revealed processes that might be controlled by SlMYB21. The data suggest a positive regulation of JA biosynthesis by SlMYB21, but a negative regulation of the action of auxin and GA. The results demonstrate that SlMYB21 mediates at least partially the action of JA and might control the flower to fruit transition.
Project description:The function of the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) in development of tomato flowers was analyzed with a mutant defective in JA perception (jasmonate-insensitive1-1, jai1-1). In contrast to Arabidopsis JA-insensitive plants that are male sterile, the tomato mutant jai1-1 exhibits major defects in female development resulting in female sterility. To identify putative JA-dependent regulatory components, transcriptomics was performed using isolated ovules of three different stages of flower development, from both wild type and jai1-1. Among the strongly down-regulated genes in jai1-1, one encoding a MYB transcription factor (SlMYB21) was found. Its orthologue in Arabidopsis has a crucial role in JA-regulated stamen development. SlMYB21 showed transcription factor activity in yeast, interaction with SlJAZ9 in yeast and in planta, and complemented the Arabidopsis mutant myb21-5. To analyze SlMYB21 function in tomato ovule development, CRISPR/Cas9 mutants were created and a TILLING mutant was identified, all showing female sterility and therefore corroborating a function of MYB21 in tomato ovule development. Transcriptomics from wild type, jai1-1 and myb21-2 carpels revealed processes that might be controlled by SlMYB21. The data suggest a positive regulation of JA biosynthesis by SlMYB21, but a negative regulation of the action of auxin and GA. The results demonstrate that SlMYB21 mediates at least partially the action of JA and might control the flower to fruit transition.
Project description:Tomato fruit ripening is under the control of ethylene as well as a group of ethylene-independent transcription factors, including NON-RIPENING (NOR) and RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN). During ripening, the linear carotene lycopene accumulates at the expense of cyclic carotenoids. Fruit-specific overexpression of LYCOPENE β-CYCLASE (LCYb) under the control of the PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) promoter resulted in increased levels of β-carotene and ABA and in decreased ethylene levels. Genes regulated by ABA, or involved in its synthesis and signaling, were overexpressed, while those associated with ethylene and cell wall remodeling were repressed. In agreement with the transcriptional data, LCYb-overexpressing fruits exhibited increased density of cell wall material containing linear, under-methylated pectins and displayed an array of additional ripening phenotypes, including delayed softening, increased turgor, enhanced shelf life and a thicker cuticle with a higher content of cutin monomers and triterpenoids. The levels of several primary metabolites and phenylpropanoids also changed in the transgenics, which could be attributed to delayed fruit ripening and to ABA respectively. Network correlation analysis suggests that ABA, acting through NOR and RIN, is responsible for many of the above phenotypes. These data reinforce suggestions that ABA plays an important role in tomato fruit ripening and provide clues that fruit b-carotene, acting as a precursor for ABA, actively participates in controlling the ripening process rather than merely being an output thereof. Overexpression of a LCYb gene from Arabidopsis under the control of the ripening-associated PDS promoter leads to ripe tomato fruits accumulating high β-carotene levels. Using several independent transgenic lines, we conducted a system-wide study of the effect of increased β-carotene levels on tomato fruit ripening and shelf life. Our data suggest that β-carotene, acting through ABA, is involved in a regulatory loop within the network controlling tomato fruit ripening.
Project description:To investigate the effects of transgenic lines L6 and L7 tomato fruits on total expression profile of MCF-7 breast cancer cells, we treated MCF-7 cells with 1 ug/ml of tomato fruit extract for 24 hours and compare it with wild type tomato fruit extract Objectives for this study included the identification of genes that were up or down-regulated at the transcriptional level in MCF-7 cells treated with transgenic lines L6 and L7 tomatofruit extract and compare it to wild type tomato fruit extract.
Project description:Tomato fruit ripening is associated with a dramatic increase in susceptibility to the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold. Mature green fruit, prior to ripening, are largely resistant to B. cinerea, whereas red fruit, at the end of ripening, are susceptible to B. cinerea infection. We used microarrays to detail the gene expression changes that are induced by B. cinerea when tomato fruit at unripe and ripe stages are infected. Experiment Overall Design: Tomato fruit at mature green and red ripe stages were wound inoculated with a water suspension of B. cinerea conidia. Twenty four hours post inoculation fruit pericarp and epicarp tissue around and including the inoculation sites was collected and the total RNA extracted. Total RNA was also collected from healthy and mock inoculated fruit.