Tissue- and organ specificity of jasmonate responses in the development of tomato flowers

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Jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, collectively known as jasmonates, are lipid-derived signaling molecules involved in defense against pathogens and in response to wounding by herbivores, in the regulation of mutualistic interactions of plants with microorganisms, but also in plant growth and development. Many of them alter gene expression positively or negatively in a regulatory network. Only few data exist on the function of JA in development of tomato flowers. Therefore, we plan to record during flower development: (i) the amount and the occurrence of bioactive jasmonates in various flower organs, and (ii) the jasmonaterelated gene expression and metabolite accumulation in female and male reproductive tissues. The following complementary approaches will be used: (a) detailed jasmonate profiling of dissected flower organs, (b) immuno cytochemical detection of jasmonates using a highly specific JA antibody to visualize bioactive jasmonates tissue specifically, and (c) transcript and metabolite profiling of reproductive tissues isolated from wild type and jai1, a mutant defective in JA perception, thereby known to exhibit defects in female development. To this end, we will identify JA-dependent regulatory components and metabolic pathways essential for proper development of reproductive organs in tomato.