Anthocyanin enrichment of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit by metabolic engineering.

摘要

Transgenic tomato plants accumulating high amounts (70-100 fold) of anthocyanin in the fruit were developed by the fruit specific expression of two transcription factors, Delila and Rosea1 isolated from Antirrhinum majus. The transgenic tomato plants were identical to the control plants, except for the accumulation of high levels of anthocyanin pigments through-out the fruit during maturity, thus giving the fruit a purplish colour. The total carotenoids, including lycopene levels were unaffected in the anthocyanin-rich fruits, while its antioxidant capacity was elevated. The gene expression analysis confirmed the elevated ex-pression of the downstream genes of the anthocyanin pathway due to the expression of the transcription factors and the expression levels coincided with the fruit ripening stages, highest expression occurring during the breaker stage. Anthocyanin-rich tomato fruit is important in view of the protective function of these compounds on consumption against a number of lifestyle-related diseases.