Unravelling key protein-protein interactions involved in plastidial development and function in Solanum lycopersicum

Abstract

Plastids development and metabolism are very important processes for yield and nutritional quality in crop plants, such as Solanum lycopersicum. The production of primary metabolites and the nutrient accumulation in fruit are indeed closely related to the maintenance of photosynthetically active chloroplasts. The plastid biogenesis and maintenance are regulated by light and hormone signaling and mediated by transcription factors. The interaction between phytochromes and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) has a fundamental role in these processes regulating the expression of genes involved in the response to light. Additionally, G2-LIKE TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS, GLK1 and GLK2, also play an important role in the maintenance of chloroplasts in Arabidopsis thaliana. In particular, the interaction of these elements with ORE1(ANAC092), a transcription factor involved in leaf senescence, inhibits their activity resulting in a negative regulation of the chloroplast maintenance. So far, studies on these key protein-protein interactions involved in plastidial development were performed only in A. thaliana, whereas functional specificity of these proteins and their interactions have not been described in any crop species of economic and nutritional interest. This project aims to unravelling these interactions increasing our knowledge about the mechanisms of plastid development and function and enabling the development of new strategies to improve productivity and nutritional quality in tomato plants. (AU)