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Project Background

Tomato has long served as a model system for plant genetics, development, pathology, and physiology, resulting in the accumulation of substantial information regarding the biology of this economically important organism. In recent years the most widely studied aspects of tomato biology include the development and ripening of their fleshy fruits and characterization of responses to infection by microbial pathogens. Although Arabidopsis has surpassed some plant systems as a model for basic plant biology research, the areas of fruit ripening and pathogen response continue to thrive using tomato as the system of choice. In the case of fruit development this is simply due to the fact that the developmental program which results in the dramatic expansion of ripening of carpels in tomato (and in many other economically and nutrionally important species) does not occur in Arabidopsis.

With regard to plant defense, decades of applied and basic research on tomato have resulted in characterization of repsonses to numerous disease agents including bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, and chewing insects. In many cases this research has led to the identification and genetic characterization of loci which confer general or pathogen-specific resistance. In addition, many experimental tools and features of tomato make it an excellent model system in its own right. These include: extensive germplasm collections, numerous natural, induced, and transgenic mutants and genetic variants, routine transformation technology, a dense RFLP map, numerous cDNA and genomic libraries, a small genome, relatively short life-cycle, and ease of growth and maintenace. The intense research effort in fruit biology and disease responses and the tools which make tomato an especially attractive model system have resulted in many important recent discoveries. Specific highlights which have a broad impact on the field of plant biology include control of gene expression by antisense/sense technology, functional characterization of numerous genes influencing fruit development and ripening, transgenic analysis of genes which impact susceptibility of responses to pathogen attack, and isolation of more disease resistance (R) genes than in any other plant species.

Project Goals

The overall goal of the project includes the development of an integrated set of experimental tools for use in tomato functional genomics. The resources developed will be used to further expand our understanding of the molecular genetic events underlying fruit development and responses to pathogen infection, and will be made available to the research community for analysis of diverse plant biological phenomena.

Specific Objectives

  1. Development of a tomato EST database with emphasis on sequences expressed during fruit development and maturation, and in pathogen-challenged tissues.
  2. Genome-wide gene expression analysis during fruit development and ripening and under pathogen infection.
  3. Development of a tomato-arabidopsis synteny map which will be used by members of this group and made publicly available for target gene isolation, candidate gene identification, and analysis of dicot genome organization and evolution.