Study Reveals Details of Tomato Formation

A new study at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research reveals how wild tomato flowers transform into tomatoes. A complicated process, scientists used advanced laser dissection and sequencing techniques to track which genes turn on and off in each tissue during transformation.

Previous studies have yielded information on genes that are active during fruiting, but such experiments used the entire fruit, or relied on rough, manual dissection to show changes occurring in different tissues. In the current study led by Dr. Carmen Catala, the scientists looked at the gene expression in the placenta, septum, pericarp, ovules, and the different components that make up the seed itself, just after fertilization, and four days later, as the fruit forms. They extracted the messenger RNA from the fruit tissues and sequenced it. They were then able to figure out which genes are active or inactive at different points during fruit development.

The scientists discovered a previously unknown gene that codes for a protein that they named OVULE SECRETED PROTEIN, or OSP. Its role in seed and fruit development is still unknown, but it had high expression levels inside the ovule.

For more details about this research, read the news release at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research website.