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Plant Molecular Biology

, Volume 62, Issue 3, pp 453–469 | Cite as

Sucrose deficiency delays lycopene accumulation in tomato fruit pericarp discs

  • Nadège Télef
  • Linda Stammitti-Bert
  • Anne Mortain-Bertrand
  • Mickaël Maucourt
  • Jean Pierre Carde
  • Dominique Rolin
  • Philippe Gallusci
Article
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Accepted:

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening is characterized by a massive accumulation of carotenoids (mainly lycopene) as chloroplasts change to chromoplasts. To address the question of the role of sugars in controlling carotenoid accumulation, fruit pericarp discs (mature green fruits) were cultured in vitro in the presence of various sucrose concentrations. A significant difference in soluble sugar content was achieved depending on external sucrose availability. Sucrose limitation delayed and reduced lycopene and phytoene accumulation, with no significant effect on other carotenoids. Chlorophyll degradation and starch catabolism were not affected by variations of sucrose availability. The reduction of lycopene synthesis observed in sucrose-limited conditions was mediated through metabolic changes illustrated by reduced hexose accumulation levels. In addition, variations of sucrose availability modulated PSY1 gene expression. Taken together our results suggest that the modulation of carotenoid accumulation by sucrose availability occurs at the metabolic level and involves the differential regulation of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis.

Keywords

Tomato fruit Isoprenoids Carotenoid Lycopene Sucrose Pericarp discs 

Abbreviations

ACS

1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid synthase

B

breaker

cnr

colourless non-ripening

dpa

days post-anthesis

del

delta

DMAPP

dimethyl-allyl-pyrophosphate

DXS

1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase

GABA

γ-amino butyric acid

GA3P

glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate

GGPP

geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate

GGPS

geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase

Glc

glucose

HDR

1-hydroxy-2-methyl-(E)-butenyl-4-phosphate reductase

hp

high pigment

IPP

isopentenyl-pyrophosphate

LCY-B

lycopene β-cyclase

LCY-E

lycopene ε-cyclase

MEP

2-C-methyl-d-erythritol

MG

mature green

nor

non-ripening

Nr

never ripe

PDS

phytoene desaturase

PSY

phytoene synthase

RR

red ripe

rin

ripening inhibitor

T

turning

ZDS

ζ-carotene desaturase

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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Aquitaine Region and by the “Pôle Aquitain de Nutrition et Santé”. N Télef was a recipient of a grant from the French Ministry of Research and Technology. We would like to thank Dr A. Block, Dr G Basset, Dr E. Teyssier and Dr C. Chevalier for critical reading of this manuscript and Dr FX. Cunningham Jr. (University of Maryland, USA), for providing us with the E. coli strains accumulating various carotenoids.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  • Nadège Télef
    • 1
  • Linda Stammitti-Bert
    • 1
  • Anne Mortain-Bertrand
    • 1
  • Mickaël Maucourt
    • 1
  • Jean Pierre Carde
    • 1
  • Dominique Rolin
    • 1
  • Philippe Gallusci
    • 1
  1. 1.UMR Physiologie et Biotechnologie VégétalesINRA, Université Bordeaux 1, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, CR INRA de BordeauxVillenave d’Ornon CedexFrance

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