ISHS Acta Horticulturae 814: XII EUCARPIA Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics
THE INS AND OUTS OF TOMATO FRUIT PEEL METABOLOME |
| Authors: | T. Mandel, I. Rogachev, I. Venger, S. Mintz-Oron, A. Aharoni, A. Adato |
| Keywords: | Solanum lycopersicum, cuticle, peel, development, profiling, flavonoids, surface |
| Abstract:
The surface of fleshy fruit provides an interface between the plant tissue and its environment, acting as a protective barrier, as well as a medium for the exchange of gases, water and nutrients. Furthermore, the fruit surface influences the outward appearance of the fruit (color, glossiness, texture, and uniformity), resistance against pathogens and drought, efficacy of post harvest treatments, storage, transport, and shelf life. The aim of this work was to gain a novel insight of the formation and function of fleshy fruit surface. Metabolomics and array technologies were employed in order to discover metabolites and transcripts associated with the tomato fruit peel. Fingerprints of genes and metabolites expression showed a clear separation between the profiles of five tested fruit developmental stages, the immature green being the most distinct of tested stages. Metabolomics analyses using LC-MS and GC-MS identified over 70 peel-enriched metabolites. These included both secondary and primary metabolites, most of which belong to the phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, organic acids, and sugars classes. Gene expression analysis revealed a total of 574 transcripts that exhibited two-fold and more increased expression levels in the peel compared to flesh, in at least one of the tested stages. A large number of cuticle related genes such as those involved in the biosynthesis of wax, cutin, and phenylpropanoids were part of this set. In the peel, induced expression of most cuticle-associated genes was detected at early and middle stages of fruit development. Several genes identified in the course of this study are currently subject to detailed characterization in order to shed new light on the biology of fleshy fruit surface. | |
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