Gene Editing Accelerates Fruit Ripening and Increases Fruit Firmness of Tomato

A study published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal shows that the gene editing of SlEIN4^AA through CRISPR-Cas9 significantly speeds up fruit ripening and increases fruit firmness, which prolongs the shelf life of the fruits.

Tomatoes face significant harvest losses due to declining fruit firmness during post-harvest. The researchers pinpoint the ethylene receptor gene SlEIN4 as a crucial gene influencing tomato fruit development and firmness. Hence, they investigated the impact of editing the SIEIN4 gene in tomatoes.

The results of the study revealed that SlEIN4 likely regulates fruit firmness by simultaneously influencing pericarp cell size and density. The findings also show that SlEIN4^AA enhances the activity and expression of pectinase, an enzyme that breaks down pectin in fruits, which contributes to the softening of fruits and a decrease in fruit firmness. The researchers suggest further investigation is needed to understand the exact mechanism of SlEIN4 in regulating fruit firmness.

For more information, read the article from Plant Biotechnology Journal.