University of Florida, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
Annu Rev Genet. 2011;45:41-59. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132507.
Tomato ripening is a highly coordinated developmental process that coincides 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 has 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.
番茄成熟是一个高度协调的发育过程，与种子成熟相吻合。数千个基因的调控表达控制着果实软化以及色素、糖、酸和挥发性化合物的积累，这些化合物增加了对动物的吸引力。分子工具和成熟相关突变体的结合使研究人员能够建立一个控制成熟的框架。番茄是一种呼吸跃变型果实，对植物激素乙烯的绝对需求是成熟的。这种对乙烯的依赖性使番茄果实成熟成为研究其合成和感知调控的模式系统。此外，包括 rin、nor 和 Cnr 在内的几种重要的成熟突变体为成熟过程的控制提供了新的见解。在这里，我们描述了乙烯和与成熟过程相关的转录因子如何结合在一起形成一个控制成熟的网络。
