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Regulation of Tomato Fruit Polygalacturonase mRNA Accumulation by
Ethylene: A Re-Examination1
Yaron Sitrit2 and
Alan B. Bennett*
Mann Laboratory, Department of Vegetable Crops, University of
California, Davis, California 95616
Polygalacturonase
(PG) is the major enzyme responsible for pectin disassembly in ripening
fruit. Despite extensive research on the factors regulating PG gene
expression in fruit, there is conflicting evidence regarding the role
of ethylene in mediating its expression. Transgenic tomato
(Lycopersicon esculentum) fruits in which endogenous
ethylene production was suppressed by the expression of an antisense
1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase gene were used to
re-examine the role of ethylene in regulating the accumulation of PG
mRNA, enzyme activity, and protein during fruit ripening. Treatment of
transgenic antisense ACC synthase mature green fruit with ethylene at
concentrations as low as 0.1 to 1 µL/L for 24 h induced PG mRNA
accumulation, and this accumulation was higher at concentrations of
ethylene up to 100 µL/L. Neither PG enzyme activity nor PG protein
accumulated during this 24-h period of ethylene treatment, indicating
that translation lags at least 24 h behind the accumulation of PG
mRNA, even at high ethylene concentrations. When examined at
concentrations of 10 µL/L, PG mRNA accumulated within 6 h of
ethylene treatment, indicating that the PG gene responds rapidly to
ethylene. Treatment of transgenic tomato fruit with a low level of
ethylene (0.1 µL/L) for up to 6 d induced levels of PG mRNA,
enzyme activity, and protein after 6 d, which were comparable to
levels observed in ripening wild-type fruit. A similar level of
internal ethylene (0.15 µL/L) was measured in transgenic antisense
ACC synthase fruit that were held for 28 d after harvest. In these
fruit PG mRNA, enzyme activity, and protein were detected.
Collectively, these results suggest that PG mRNA accumulation is
ethylene regulated, and that the low threshold levels of ethylene
required to promote PG mRNA accumulation may be exceeded, even in
transgenic antisense ACC synthase tomato fruit.
1
This research was supported in part by a
Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund Postdoctoral
Fellowship to Y.S.
2
Present address: The Weizmann Institute of
Science, P.O. Box 26, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail abbennett{at}ucdavis.edu; fax
1-916-752-4554.
Plant Physiol. (1998) 116: 1145-1150
Copyright Clearance Center: 0032-0889/98/116/1145/06
© 1998 American Society of Plant Physiologists
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