Impacts of the manipulation of the GSNOR enzyme on a production, maturation pattern and resistance against phytopathogens in tomato fruits

• Grant number: 18/06436-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2018
• End date: June 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Luciano Freschi
• Grantee: Fernanda Oliveira da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/01128-9 - Light and hormonal regulation of nutritional quality in Solanum lycopersicum, AP.TEM

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) is currently considered as a ubiquitous signal in plant systems and accumulating evidence indicates that NO plays a key role in controlling flowering, fruit ripening, susceptibility to pathogen attack, among other processes. Due to its high chemical reactivity, NO is intrinsically linked to the antioxidant cellular metabolism. Therefore, NO production, storage and removal appear to be under strict regulation by the plant cell. The enzyme S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), for instance, plays a critical role in the modulation of NO metabolism, facilitating the control of both NO endogenous levels and S-nitrosothiol abundance. Accordingly, Arabidopsis mutant plants defective in GSNOR display several pleiotropic phenotypic alterations, including defects in the flower development and reduced fertility, leading to a limited production of seeds and changes in fruit growth. These alterations are accompanied by a remarkable increase in NO and S-nitrosothiol content. Based on this scenario, the present work aims to investigate the importance of GSNOR for the control of the level of both NO and its derivatives in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits, and the consequences of GSNOR manipulation on tomato fruit productivity, ripening and susceptibility to pathogen attack. To achieve this goal, transgenic plants with fruit-specific overexpression or silencing of the gene encoding GSNOR will be compared to wildtype (WT) in terms of productivity and fruit ripening initiation and progression. Moreover, the susceptibility of fruits from both transgenic and WT plants to gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) will be compared. These approaches may increase our current knowledge about the relevance of GSNOR for maintaining adequate NO levels during fleshy fruit development and ripening and may also facilitate future biotechnological advances leading to further improvements in fleshy fruit production and minimize economical losses due to precocious fruit deterioration during production and transportation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ZUCCARELLI, RAFAEL; RODRIGUEZ-RUIZ, MARTA; SILVA, FERNANDA O.; GOMES, LETICIA D. L.; LOPES-OLIVEIRA, PATRICIA J.; ZSOGON, AGUSTIN; ANDRADE, SONIA C. S.; DEMARCO, DIEGO; CORPAS, FRANCISCO J.; PERES, LAZARO E. P.; et al. Loss of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase disturbs phytohormone homeostasis and regulates shoot side branching and fruit growth in tomato. Journal of Experimental Botany, v. N/A, p. 20-pg., 2023-05-09. (18/16389-8, 20/03720-8, 21/05714-8, 16/01128-9, 18/06436-9, 16/02033-1, 17/17935-3)