ISHS Acta Horticulturae 394: Plant Bioregulators in Horticulture
MODIFICATION OF TOMATO FRUIT RIPENING BY TRANSFORMATION WITH SENSE OR ANTISENSE CHIMERIC 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLATE SYNTHASE GENES |
| Authors: | M. Nagata, H. Mori, Y. Tabei, T. Sato, M. Hirai, H. Imaseki |
| Keywords: | 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase gene, Ethylene, Fruit ripening, Transgenic plants, Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), Antisense RNA, Co-suppression |
| Abstract:
Ethylene controls tomato ripening. The rate-limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis is catalyzed by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase. In this study, ripening characteristics of tomatoes transformed with ACC synthase gene in sense or antisense orientation were demonstrated. Tomato plants (cv. Ailsa Craig) were transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Forty-three independent antisense and twenty-six sense transformants were obtained. Changes in surface color of these tomato fruits were measured by a color difference meter. A marked retardation in red color development was observed in one antisense transformant, and it was reversed by treatment of fruits with ethylene. Four transformants with sense ACC synthase gene also showed similar retardation of ripening, due to the phenomenon of co-suppression. The effect was also reversed by ethylene. Genetic analyses of the selfed progenies indicated that these transgenes were stably inherited. Both antisense and sense gene constructs were effective for down-regulation of ACC synthase in tomato fruits, and are expected to improve the shelf-life and quality of tomatoes. | |
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