Research-PGR: Decoding the Volatile Aroma of Tomato Fruits

Research-PGR：解码番茄果实的挥发性香气

基本信息

批准号：
2151032
负责人：
Esther Van der Knaap
金额：
$ 150万
依托单位：
University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-07-01 至 2025-06-30
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2151032&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Research PGR Decoding Volatile Aroma

项目摘要

Tomatoes are an important source of nutrition worldwide, providing vitamins and minerals to the diet. Although tomatoes are a critical part of a balanced diet, consumers are often displeased with the flavor of modern tomatoes purchased from supermarkets. Better tasting tomatoes result in increased consumption and improved overall consumer health. Different tomatoes vary tremendously in flavors with some that are highly liked or not at all by consumers. This natural diversity is largely found in tomatoes that are unsuitable for large-scale production because of reduced fruit size, yield and plant appearance that negatively impact profitability for growers. Key components of tomato flavor are the volatile aroma compounds. However, the genetic inheritance and the biochemistry of many aroma compounds in tomato are unknown. This project will aim to find novel characteristics of volatile production in ripe fruit which will ultimately lead to better tasting tomatoes. Identifying these missing components will facilitate breeding efforts for modern varieties with improved flavor. In addition, the next generation of scientists will be trained in current methods of biochemistry, genetics and genomics. Bioinformatics workshops for high school biology and math teachers will improve education and create interest in careers in STEM fields.Survival of the species in terms of seed dispersal is critically dependent on the metabolic pathways that regulate specialized volatile accumulation in ripening fruits. In tomato, genes affecting these pathways often encode metabolic enzymes that differ in gene structure and activity among related red-fruited species. A subset of these are also targets of selection during domestication and improvement of tomato. Yet, key enzymes and regulatory genes in pathways to volatiles that are derived from branched chain amino acids, phenylalanine, and those that belong to the acetate ester category are not well known. The main goal of this research project is to validate, characterize and valorize novel genes in tomato fruit volatile production in the selected pathways by applying integrative genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches. The information from improved GWAS and bi-parental mapping studies will be used to prioritize candidate genes for specific fruit volatile loci. Candidate genes will be validated by enzymatic assays, CRISPR knockouts and fine mapping of loci in segregating populations. Outreach to high school math and biology teachers will include a workshop on bioinformatics methods. High school students will be exposed to bioinformatics, creating interest in careers in STEM fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

西红柿是全球营养的重要来源，为饮食提供维生素和矿物质。尽管西红柿是均衡饮食的关键部分，但消费者通常对从超市购买的现代西红柿的味道感到不满。更好的品尝西红柿会增加消费量并改善整体消费者健康。不同的西红柿的风味差异很大，其中有些人受到消费者的喜爱或根本不喜欢的。这种自然多样性在很大程度上发现了不适合大规模生产的西红柿，由于水果的尺寸降低，产量和植物外观降低，对种植者的盈利能力产生了负面影响。番茄味的关键成分是挥发性香气化合物。然而，番茄中许多香气化合物的遗传遗传和生物化学尚不清楚。该项目的目的是寻找成熟水果中挥发性生产的新特征，这最终将带来更好的品尝西红柿。确定这些缺失的组件将促进具有改善风味的现代品种的繁殖工作。此外，下一代科学家将接受当前生物化学，遗传学和基因组学方法的培训。高中生物学和数学教师的生物信息学研讨会将改善教育，并对STEM领域的职业产生兴趣。就种子扩散而言，该物种的生存在很大程度上取决于代谢途径，该途径调节了在成熟果实中调节专业挥发性的积累。在番茄中，影响这些途径的基因通常编码相关红色物种之间基因结构和活性不同的代谢酶。其中的一个子集也是驯化和改善番茄期间选择的靶标。然而，尚不清楚源自分支链氨基酸，苯丙氨酸和属于乙酸酯类别的挥发物的途径中的关键酶和调节基因。该研究项目的主要目的是通过应用综合遗传，分子和生化方法来验证，表征和重视番茄果实挥发性产生的新基因。改进的GWAS和双期育意研究的信息将用于优先考虑特定水果挥发性基因座的候选基因。候选基因将通过酶促测定，CRISPR敲除和隔离人群中基因座的精细映射来验证。与高中数学和生物学老师的宣传将包括有关生物信息学方法的研讨会。高中生将接触生物信息学，对STEM领域的职业产生兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准的评估值得支持的。