C2H2锌指蛋白PTR调控番茄果实成熟的分子机理解析

C2H2型锌指蛋白是真核生物基因组分布最广泛且研究最为深入的一类锌指蛋白，它广泛参与植物的生长发育和非生物逆境胁迫。然而到目前为止，鲜有关于C2H2型锌指蛋白调控果实成熟的报道。前期研究中，项目组克隆了番茄果尖形成调控基因PT，PT属于C2H2型锌指蛋白，其等位基因PTR参与了番茄果实成熟进程的调控，过表达PTR导致番茄果实早熟，乙烯释放高峰和类胡萝卜素的积累均提前。本项目拟在前期工作的基础上，解析PTR调控番茄果实成熟的物质代谢基础，明确PTR调控成熟的关键步骤和基因，发掘PTR关键互作蛋白和调控的下游靶基因，验证关键互作蛋白和靶基因的生物学功能，明确PTR和PTH在番茄果实成熟调控方面功能差异的分子基础，并通过多突变体构建探索PTR与已知成熟调控因子的遗传关系，最终阐明PTR调控番茄果实成熟的分子机制，丰富植物果实成熟的调控网络，为植物果实成熟品质调控和货架寿命延长的应用研究奠定基础。

As the most widely distributed and well-studied Zinc Finger proteins in eukaryotic genomes, C2H2 Zinc Finger proteins extensively involve in the process of plant growth and development and response to abiotic stress. But there are few reports on the function analysis of C2H2 Zinc Finger protein in fruit ripening till now. In previous study, we cloned a C2H2 Zinc Finger protein PT which regulates the pointed tip phenotype of tomato fruit, and we found that PT has two alleles in the nature, PTH and PTR, and PTR underlies the mature process of tomato fruit. Overexpression of PTR caused the advanced peak of ethylene release and accumulation of carotenoid, accompanied with the premature maturity of tomato fruit. Based on these, our project aims to analyze the material metabolism basis of PTR regulating tomato fruit maturity, to find out the critical steps and genes regulated by PTR, to explore the downstream target genes and interacting proteins of PTR and verify their biological functions, to make clear the molecular basis of allele PTR and PTH in tomato fruit ripening regulation, and to construct the multiple mutants on PTR and other known maturation regulator to analyze the genetic relationship between them. Finally, this project would clarify the molecular mechanism of PTR in regulating tomato fruit ripening and supplement the regulation network of plant fruit development and maturity regulatory, which will provide the theoretical basis for quality improvement and shelf life extensive of tomato fruit.