John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
Curr Biol. 2013 Jun 17;23(12):1094-100. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.04.072. Epub 2013 May 23.
Shelf life is an important quality trait for many fruit, including tomatoes. We report that enrichment of anthocyanin, a natural pigment, in tomatoes can significantly extend shelf life. Processes late in ripening are suppressed by anthocyanin accumulation, and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, one of the most important postharvest pathogens, is reduced in purple tomato fruit. We show that reduced susceptibility to B. cinerea is dependent specifically on the accumulation of anthocyanins, which alter the spreading of the ROS burst during infection. The increased antioxidant capacity of purple fruit likely slows the processes of overripening. Enhancing the levels of natural antioxidants in tomato provides a novel strategy for extending shelf life by genetic engineering or conventional breeding.
货架期是许多水果（包括番茄）的一个重要质量特性。我们报告称，番茄中花青素（一种天然色素）的富集可以显著延长货架期。花青素的积累抑制了成熟后期的过程，并且降低了紫色番茄果实对灰葡萄孢菌（一种最重要的采后病原菌之一）的易感性。我们表明，对 B. cinerea 的易感性降低取决于花青素的积累，花青素改变了感染过程中 ROS 爆发的扩散。紫色果实抗氧化能力的提高可能会减缓过熟过程。通过遗传工程或传统育种提高番茄中天然抗氧化剂的水平为延长货架期提供了一种新策略。
