Figure 7
Patterns exist in tomato fruit ripening and abscission zone formation network.
Connection between different regulatory factors based on expression data analysis and yeast two-hybrid test in this study. The overexpression of FYFL inhibits the expression of ripening-related regulatory factor RIN and abscission zone regulatory factors JOINTLESS and MC. Previous studies have shown SlMADS1 was an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitory factor, thereby inhibiting fruit ripening; RIN positively regulated fruit riping both by ethylene and non-ethylene mediated pathways. There were interactions in FYFL & MADS1 and FYFL & RIN. FYFL may regulate the activity of MADS1 and RIN, then control the ethylene and downstream genes and achieve the purpose of regulating ripening. JOINTLESS and MC were needed in formation of abscission zone of tomato. There was interaction between FYFL & JOINTLESS, moreover, it was reported that there was interaction between JOINTLESS and MC. FYFL may regulate the activity of JOINTLESS and MC, then control the ethylene and downstream genes, subsequently regulate the development of abscission zone. Whether JOINTLESS and MC can directly control the downstream genes or not, it is still not clear.
