Gene Editing to Improve Postharvest Life of Tomato

Chinese researchers explore the function of the NAC transcription factor NOR-like1 gene in tomato fruit softening. The findings of their study are reported in Postharvest Biology and Technology.

Softening in fleshy fruits is a critical aspect that significantly influences their overall quality and shelf life. Previous studies show that the NOR-like1 gene affects fruit ripening and firmness. Thus, the researchers generated knockout and overexpressing NOR-like1 lines of tomato using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to understand the function of NOR-like1.

The results of the study show that overexpressing NOR-like1 accelerated fruit ripening and softening of tomatoes, while the knockout of NOR-like1 had the opposite effect. Furthermore, the study also found that NOR-like1 influences transcriptional levels of genes involved in cell wall metabolism, such as SlXYL1, SlTBG4, and SlXTH1, and softening-related transcription factors, such as SlLOB1, SlTAG1, and SlMYB58.

For more information, read the article from Postharvest Biology and Technology.