Increasing tomato fruit quality by enhancing fruit chloroplast function. A double-edged sword?
Fruits are generally regarded as photosynthate sinks as they rely on energy provided by sugars transported from leaves to carry out the highly demanding processes of development and ripening; eventually these imported photosynthates also contribute to the fruit organoleptic properties. Three recent reports have revealed, however, that transcriptional factors enhancing chloroplast development in fruit may result in higher contents not only of tomato fruit-specialized metabolites but also of sugars. In addition to suggesting new ways to improve fruit quality by fortifying fruit chloroplasts and plastids, these results prompted us to re-evaluate the importance of the contribution of chloroplasts/photosynthesis to fruit development and ripening.
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, CSIC-UPV, Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n E-46022 Valencia, Spain.
Maria Florencia
MF
Cocaliadis
Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea 'La Mayora', Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-29750 Algarrobo-Costa (Málaga), Spain.
Rafael
R
Fernández-Muñoz
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, CSIC-UPV, Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n E-46022 Valencia, Spain.
Clara
C
Pons
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, CSIC-UPV, Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n E-46022 Valencia, Spain.
Diego
D
Orzaez
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, CSIC-UPV, Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n E-46022 Valencia, Spain agranell@ibmcp.upv.es.
Antonio
A
Granell
D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000502:physiology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D055537:Light Signal Transduction; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010788:Photosynthesis
Chloroplasts; Solanum; fruit; oxidative stress; plastid; sugars; tomato.