Abstract
Tubby-like proteins (TLPs), which were firstly identified in obese mice, play important roles in male gametophyte development, biotic stress response, and abiotic stress responses in plants. To date, the role of TLP genes in fruit ripening is largely unknown. Here, through a bioinformatics analysis, we identified 11 TLPs which can be divided into three subgroups in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a model plant for studying fruit development and ripening. It was shown that all SlTLPs except SlTLP11 contain both the Tub domain and F-box domain. An expression profiling analysis in different tomato tissues and developmental stages showed that 7 TLP genes are mainly expressed in vegetative tissues, flower, and early fruit developmental stages. Interestingly, other 4 TLP members (SlTLP1, SlTLP2, SlTLP4, and SlTLP5) were found to be highly expressed after breaker stage, suggesting a potential role of these genes in fruit ripening. Moreover, the induced expression of SlTLP1 and SlTLP2 by exogenous ethylene treatment and the down expression of the two genes in ripening mutants, further support their putative role in the ripening process. Overall, our study provides a basis for further investigation of the function of TLPs in plant development and fruit ripening.
Highlights
Tubby-like proteins (TLPs), first identified in obese mice, are ubiquitous in eukaryotes varying from single-celled to multicellular organisms [1,2]
The TLPs in the whole genome of tomato were identified by using the sequences of arabidopsis TLPs as BLAST queries against the tomato genome (ITAG 2.40)
A total of 11 TLPs were identified in tomato by using these methods
Summary
Tubby-like proteins (TLPs), first identified in obese mice, are ubiquitous in eukaryotes varying from single-celled to multicellular organisms [1,2]. TLPs are known to play important roles in the maintenance and functioning of neuronal cells during post-differentiation and development. In rice (Oryza sativa), 14 OsTLPs were identified and an expression profiling analysis showed that OsTLPs are differentially expressed in different tissues at distinct developmental stages [2], suggesting that the OsTLP family genes may play an important role in different physiological and developmental processes. Overexpression of CaTLP1 in chickpeas was reported to promote tolerance to salt, drought and oxidative stress [14] These studies suggested that TLPs play an important role in stress response in different plant species, but the potential role of TLPs in fruit development is largely unknown [15]. Our study sheds light on the putative role of TLPs in plant development and fruit ripening
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