title: Unraveling the complexity of transcriptomic, metabolomic and quality environmental response of tomato fruit.
abstract: The environment has a profound influence on the organoleptic quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit, the extent of which depends on a well-regulated and dynamic interplay among genes, metabolites and sensorial attributes. We used a systems biology approach to elucidate the complex interacting mechanisms regulating the plasticity of sensorial traits. To investigate environmentally challenged transcriptomic and metabolomic remodeling and evaluate the organoleptic consequences of such variations we grown three tomato varieties, Heinz 1706, whose genome was sequenced as reference and two "local" ones, San Marzano and Vesuviano in two different locations of Campania region (Italy).
  
  
  
  Responses to environment were more pronounced in the two "local" genotypes, rather than in the Heinz 1706. The overall genetic composition of each genotype, acting in trans, modulated the specific response to environment. Duplicated genes and transcription factors, establishing different number of network connections by gaining or losing links, play a dominant role in shaping organoleptic profile. The fundamental role of cell wall metabolism in tuning all the quality attributes, including the sensorial perception, was also highlighted.
  
  
  
  Although similar fruit-related quality processes are activated in the same environment, different tomato genotypes follow distinct transcriptomic, metabolomic and sensorial trajectories depending on their own genetic makeup.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Esposito
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferriello
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnologies, Functional Genomics Center, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra Dal
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Molin
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development (ENEA), Casaccia Research Center, Rome, 00123, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diretto
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnologies, Functional Genomics Center, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minio
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Monaco
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cavella
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Rome, 00185, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tardella
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development (ENEA), Casaccia Research Center, Rome, 00123, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giuliano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnologies, Functional Genomics Center, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delledonne
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frusciante
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, 80055, Italy. ercolano@unina.it.
authors.forename: Maria Raffaella
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ercolano
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D063427:Food Quality; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D018628:Gene Dosage; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D005838:Genotype; D007558:Italy; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D055442:Metabolome; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Environment; Fruit quality; Metabolome; Network; Plasticity; Sensorial attributes; Solanum lycopersicum; Transcriptome