Differential expression of tomato ACC oxidase gene family in relation to fruit ripening.

摘要

The enzyme ACC oxidase [1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidoreductase] (ACO) catalyses the terminal step in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway and is encoded by a small multigene family in tomato. We studied the expression of the ACO gene family during various stages of fruit ripening using the multiplex RT-PCR approach in three tomato cultivars (Pusa Ruby, Pusa Sheetal and Pusa Uphar) differing in their rate of ripening. The ACO1 gene expression, compared to other isoforms of the ACO gene family, showed a strong correlation with the rate of fruit ripening and ethylene evolution. The results revealed LEACO1 as the predominant ripening-regulated isoform, and demonstrated the potential of the multiplex RT-PCR technique to analyse the rate of ripening in diverse tomato genotypes..