Molecular and genetic characterization of a novel pleiotropic tomato-ripening mutant

Abstract

In this paper we describe a novel, dominant pleiotropic tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)-ripening mutation, Cnr (colorless nonripening). This mutant occurred spontaneously in a commercial population. Cnr has a phenotype that is quite distinct from that of the other pleiotropic tomato-ripening mutants and is characterized by fruit that show greatly reduced ethylene production, an inhibition of softening, a yellow skin, and a nonpigmented pericarp. The ripening-related biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments was abolished in the pericarp tissue. The pericarp also showed a significant reduction in cell-to-cell adhesion, with cell separation occurring when blocks of tissue were incubated in water alone. The mutant phenotype was not reversed by exposure to exogenous ethylene. Crosses with other mutant lines and the use of a restriction fragment length polymorphism marker demonstrated that Cnr was not allelic with the pleiotropic ripening mutants nor, alc, rin, Nr, Gr, and Nr-2. The gene has been mapped to the top of chromosome 2, also indicating that it is distinct from the other pleiotropic ripening mutants. We undertook the molecular characterization of Cnr by examining the expression of a panel of ripening-related genes in the presence and absence of exogenous ethylene. The pattern of gene expression in Cnr was related to, but differed from, that of several of the other well-characterized mutants. We discuss here the possible relationships among nor, Cnr, and rin in a putative ripening signal cascade.