Wang Zhong-feng, Ying Tie-jin, Bao Bi-li, Huang Xiao-dan
School of Biosystem Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China.
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2005 Jun;6(6):502-7. doi: 10.1631/jzus.2005.B0502.
The characteristics of fruit ripening and expression of ripening-related genes were investigated in epi, an ethylene overproduction mutant of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). The epi produces apparently more ethylene than its wild type VFN8 at every stage of vegetative and fruit growth and ripening; compared to VFN8, the epi fruit showed higher CO2 evolution, faster descending of chlorophyll, slightly quicker increase of carotenoid and lycopene, and faster reduction in pericarp firmness during maturation and ripening; and the mRNAs of three ripening-related genes including E8, pTOM5 and pTOM6 were at higher levels in epi. The ripening-related characteristics changing of the fruit are consistent with the increase of ethylene production and ripening-related genes expression. These results suggest that epi mutation possibly did not affect the ethylene perception and signaling during fruit ripening, and that the modified characteristics of fruit ripening possibly resulted from the ethylene overproduction and increased expression of ripening-related genes.
在番茄（Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.）乙烯过量产生突变体epi中，研究了果实成熟的特征以及成熟相关基因的表达情况。在营养生长、果实生长和成熟的各个阶段，epi产生的乙烯明显多于其野生型VFN8；与VFN8相比，epi果实成熟和成熟过程中表现出更高的CO2释放量、叶绿素更快下降、类胡萝卜素和番茄红素略有更快增加以及果皮硬度更快降低；包括E8、pTOM5和pTOM6在内的三个成熟相关基因的mRNA在epi中水平更高。果实成熟相关特征的变化与乙烯产量增加和成熟相关基因表达一致。这些结果表明，epi突变可能不影响果实成熟过程中乙烯的感知和信号传导，果实成熟特征的改变可能是由于乙烯过量产生和成熟相关基因表达增加所致。
