ISHS Acta Horticulturae 546: International Symposium on Molecular Markers for Characterizing Genotypes and Identifying Cultivars in Horticulture
TOMATO ECOTYPE CHARACTERIZATION BY ANIONIC EXCHANGE–HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF ENDOSPERM SEED PROTEINS |
| Authors: | G. Mennella, V. Onofaro Sanajà, A. D'Alessandro |
| Keywords: | Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., glutelins, biochemical fingerprinting, morpho-physiological differentiation |
| Abstract:
The rescue and exploitation of horticultural typical products recognized by the European Union require full characterization. Endosperm seed protein analysis constitutes a valid and/or improved approach to cultivar identification which is commonly based on morphological traits recorded in the field. In this study seed storage protein analysis was applied on 14 ecotypes of tomato cultivated in Campania region (Southern Italy) and 4 ecotypes cultivated in Sicily, characterized by small fruits usually stored as fresh crop and suitable for winter consumption. These ecotypes were compared with Naomi hybrid (a small fruit tomato variety). AE-HPLC showed quali-quantitative differences in the elution profiles of the ecotypes analyzed. Alkali-soluble proteins were useful in differentiating ecotypes and cultivars while the other proteic fractions only showed a weak polymorphism. Endosperm glutelins extracted from unimbibed seeds were eluted from an anionic exchange DEAE-825 column with an increasing ionic strength and monitored at 280 nm. The possibility of discriminating between closely related tomato ecotypes during the course of breeding progammes could allow the identification of biochemical markers linked to useful agronomical traits. As observed by chromatographic analysis, the glutelin composition of tomato alkali-soluble seed protein appears to be independent of environmental growth conditions. Morpho-physiological characterization was also carried out on 4 ecotypes collected in Sicily and results seem to confirm the biochemical data. The AE-HPLC method here developed represents a high resolution, cost- effective and time-saving biochemical procedure for characterization and genetic purity assessment of tomato ecotypes. | |
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