ARS | Publication request: Genetics and control of tomato fruit ripening and quality attributes

Submitted to: Annual Review of Genetics
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: August 6, 2011
Publication Date: December 1, 2011
Citation: Klee, H., Giovannoni, J.J. 2011. Genetics and control of tomato fruit ripening and quality attributes. Annual Review of Genetics. 45:41-59. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132507

Technical Abstract: Tomato ripening is a highly coordinated developmental process coinciding with seed maturation. Regulated expression of thousands of genes controls fruit softening as well as accumulation of pigments, sugars, acids and volatile compounds that increase attraction to animals. A combination of molecular tools and ripening-affected mutants have permitted researchers to establish a framework for the control of ripening. Tomato is a climacteric fruit, with an absolute requirement for the phytohormone, ethylene, to ripen. This dependence upon ethylene has established tomato fruit ripening as a model system for study of regulation of its synthesis and perception. In addition, several important ripening mutants, including rin, nor and Cnr have provided novel insights into the control of ripening processes. Here, we describe how ethylene and the transcription factors associated with the ripening process fit together into a network controlling ripening.