Molecular and Genetic Analysis of Developmental and Hormonal Signals Regulating Tomato Fruit Ripening

9604115 Giovannoni博士将番茄果实的成熟视为一个发育过程，这与其他大多数将番茄果实作为植物衰老的例子进行研究的分析不同。事实上，一些对乙烯不敏感的番茄突变体表明，衰老特异性激素乙烯可以以发育方式调节。他的团队已经从番茄中分离出与其他植物中检测到的乙烯信号转导通路成分同源的基因。结合他的突变体收集和对乙烯没有反应但在其他发育控制下的果实特异性转录物的检测，该项目得以发展。它包括CTR1乙烯信号转导调节剂的表征和转基因操作作为一个方面。其次，组成型乙烯响应突变体具有生理特征，并与发育调节转录物的表达有关。最后，非乙烯反应，发育诱导转录本将功能表征。这项工作有望为研究调节果实成熟的不同基因表达程序提供一个综合的视角。

9604115 Giovannoni Dr. Giovannoni treats ripening of the tomato fruit as a developmental program - in contrast to most of other analyses in which the tomato fruit is studied as an example of plant senescence. Some ethylene-insensitive tomato mutants, indeed, indicate that the senescence-specific hormone ethylene can be modulated in a developmental fashion. His group has isolated from tomato genes homologous to components of the ethylene signal transduction pathway detected in other plants. In combination with his mutant collection and the detection of fruit-specific transcripts that do not respond to ethylene but are under other developmental control, the project develops. It includes the characterization and transgenic manipulation of the CTR1 ethylene signal transduction modulator as one aspect. Secondly, constitutive ethylene responding mutants are characterized physiologically and with respect to the expression of developmentally-regulated transcripts. Finally, non-ethylene responsive, developmentally induced transcripts will be functionally characterized. The work is expected to provide an integrative view of different gene expression programs regulating fruit ripening in general.