School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK.
Heygates Ltd, Bugbrooke Mills, Bugbrooke, UK.
Nat Biotechnol. 2016 Sep;34(9):950-2. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3602. Epub 2016 Jul 25.
Controlling the rate of softening to extend shelf life was a key target for researchers engineering genetically modified (GM) tomatoes in the 1990s, but only modest improvements were achieved. Hybrids grown nowadays contain 'non-ripening mutations' that slow ripening and improve shelf life, but adversely affect flavor and color. We report substantial, targeted control of tomato softening, without affecting other aspects of ripening, by silencing a gene encoding a pectate lyase.
控制软化速率以延长货架期是 20 世纪 90 年代基因工程改造（GM）番茄的研究人员的一个关键目标，但只取得了适度的改进。如今种植的杂交品种含有“非成熟突变”，可减缓成熟过程并延长货架期，但会对风味和颜色产生不利影响。我们通过沉默编码果胶裂解酶的基因，实现了对番茄软化的实质性、靶向控制，而不影响成熟的其他方面。
