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Lytovchenko A, Eickmeier I, Pons C, Osorio S, Szecowka M, Lehmberg K, Arrivault S, Tohge T, Pineda B, Anton MT, Hedtke B, Lu Y, Fisahn J, Bock R, Stitt M, Grimm B, Granell A, Fernie AR. Tomato fruit photosynthesis is seemingly unimportant in primary metabolism and ripening but plays a considerable role in seed development. Plant Physiol 2011; 157:1650-63. [PMID: 21972266 PMCID: PMC3327185 DOI: 10.1104/pp.111.186874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Fruit of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), like those from many species, have been characterized to undergo a shift from partially photosynthetic to truly heterotrophic metabolism. While there is plentiful evidence for functional photosynthesis in young tomato fruit, the rates of carbon assimilation rarely exceed those of carbon dioxide release, raising the question of its role in this tissue. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of lines exhibiting a fruit-specific reduction in the expression of glutamate 1-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSA). Despite the fact that these plants contained less GSA protein and lowered chlorophyll levels and photosynthetic activity, they were characterized by few other differences. Indeed, they displayed almost no differences in fruit size, weight, or ripening capacity and furthermore displayed few alterations in other primary or intermediary metabolites. Although GSA antisense lines were characterized by significant alterations in the expression of genes associated with photosynthesis, as well as with cell wall and amino acid metabolism, these changes were not manifested at the phenotypic level. One striking feature of the antisense plants was their seed phenotype: the transformants displayed a reduced seed set and altered morphology and metabolism at early stages of fruit development, although these differences did not affect the final seed number or fecundity. Taken together, these results suggest that fruit photosynthesis is, at least under ambient conditions, not necessary for fruit energy metabolism or development but is essential for properly timed seed development and therefore may confer an advantage under conditions of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lytovchenko
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | | | - Clara Pons
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Sonia Osorio
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Marek Szecowka
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Kerstin Lehmberg
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Stephanie Arrivault
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Takayuki Tohge
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Benito Pineda
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Maria Teresa Anton
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Boris Hedtke
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Yinghong Lu
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Joachim Fisahn
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Mark Stitt
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Bernhard Grimm
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Antonio Granell
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
| | - Alisdair R. Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany (A.L., I.E., S.O., M.S., K.L., S.A., T.T., Y.L., J.F., R.B., M.S., A.R.F.); Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain (C.P., B.P., M.T.A., A.G.); Humboldt University, Institute of Biology, Plant Physiology, 10115 Berlin, Germany (B.H., B.G.)
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