Award Abstract #0227541
YIA-PGR: Genetic, Molecular and Developmental Analysis of Variation in Tomato Fruit Morphology

NSF Org:	IOS Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
Initial Amendment Date:	August 30, 2002
Latest Amendment Date:	April 22, 2009
Award Number:	0227541
Award Instrument:	Continuing grant
Program Manager:	Diane Jofuku Okamuro IOS Division of Integrative Organismal Systems BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	January 1, 2003
Expires:	December 31, 2009 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$1358729
Investigator(s):	Esther Van der Knaap vanderknaap.1@osu.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	Ohio State University Research Foundation 1960 KENNY RD Columbus, OH 43210 614/292-3732
NSF Program(s):	PLANT GENOME RESEARCH PROJECT
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):	BIOT, 9297, 9251, 9232, 9184, 9109, 1329
Program Element Code(s):	1329

ABSTRACT

Breeding and mutation analysis in tomato have resulted in a diverse germplasm collection, providing a rich resource for studies on fruit morphology. Often, fruit morphological changes occur during growth and maturation of the ovary prior to pollination and/or during maturation of the fruit after pollination and successful fertilization. Therefore, tomato varieties displaying altered fruit shape may provide unique insights into developmental processes controlling ovary and fruit growth and maturation. Understanding the molecular-genetic basis of diversity in fruit form will allow insights into evolutionary processes in tomato as well as other fruit-bearing crops, and modification of developmental processes regulating ovary and fruit formation.

The first goal is to identify and fine-map novel genetic loci to obtain a global view of key loci and developmental pathways controlling variation in tomato fruit shape. Populations derived from crosses between cultivated tomato exhibiting extreme fruit shapes and a round-fruited wild relative will be phenotypically and genotypically analyzed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling fruit shape. These loci will be introgressed into a homogenous background to permit future genomic analyses and map-based cloning of genes underlying fruit morphology QTL.

The second goal is to identify changes in gene expression profiles during tomato ovary and fruit growth, and to correlate these to developmental changes in morphology. Results from the analyses will provide insights into molecular events regulating ovary and fruit development. In addition, genes will be identified whose transcript levels change as a consequence of allelic substitution at fruit shape loci resulting in changes in fruit morphology. This information will allow insights into networks of genes and biochemical processes potentially downstream from fruit shape loci, and how fruit morphology is regulated.

The third goal is to integrate fruit shape characteristics with gene expression and genotype information becoming available during the course of the project, and to develop a searchable database containing this information. In addition, a software package will be developed to semi-automatically analyze variation in fruit shape in tomato varieties and in mapping populations.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

Brewer, M.T., L. Lang, K. Fujimura, N. Dujmovic, S. Gray and E. van der Knaap. "Development of a controlled vocabulary and software application to analyze fruit shape variation in tomato and other plant species.," Plant Physiology, v.141, 2006, p. 15.

Gonzalo MJ; van der Knaap E. "A comparative analysis into the genetic bases of tomato varieties exhibiting elongated fruit shape.," Theoretical and Applied Genetics, v.116, 2008, p. 647.

Marin Talbot Brewer, Jennifer B. Moyseenko, Antonio J. Monforte, and Esther van der Knaap. "Morphological Variation in Tomato: A Comprehensive Study of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Fruit Shape and Development.," Journal of Experimental Botany, v.58, 2007, p. 1339.

N. Dujmovic, R. Drushal, B. Strecker, M. Brewer, E. van der Knaap, S. Gray.. "Tomato analyzer: an application for phenotypic analysis of tomato fruit.," Proceedings of the Midstates Conferences on Undergraduate Research in Computer Science and Mathematics, v.3, 2005, p. 20.

N. Welty, C. Radovich, T. Meulia, E. van der Knaap.. "Inflorescence development in two tomato species.," Canadian Journal of Botany, v.85, 2007, p. 111.

Paran I; van der Knaap E. "Genetic and molecular regulation of fruit and plant domestication traits in tomato and pepper.," Journal of Experimental Botany, v.58, 2007, p. 3841.

Van der Knaap, E., A. Sanyal, S.A. Jackson, and S.D. Tanksley. "High-Resolution Fine-Mapping and FISH analysis of sun, a Locus Controlling Tomato Fruit Shape, Reveals a Region of the Tomato Genome Prone to DNA Rearrangements.," Genetics, v.168, 2004, p. 2127.

Xiao H; Jiang N; Schaffner E; Stockinger EJ; van der Knaap E. "A retrotransposon-mediated gene duplication underlies morphological variation in tomato fruit.," Science, v.319, 2008, p. 1527.

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