The role of PHY-PIF module in high temperature perception and its impact on fruit nutraceutical quality

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most important crop species in the world, being planted and consumed worldwide, its importance goes far beyond its market value, being an important nutritional source for humans bearing some important vitamins and sugar compounds. These compounds come mainly from plastid metabolism which is strongly associated with light perception and signaling. In this sense, it is known that manipulation of this pathway is an effective way to alter simultaneously distinct classes of nutritional compounds derived from plastid metabolism in tomato. Recently, we compiled evidences that high temperature impairs fruit nutritional quality and that temperature perception and signaling have common factors with light perception. In this context, this project aims to explore the role of SIPHYB2 photoreceptor and its downstream negative regulator SIPIF4 in temperature sensing and signaling. More specifically, we propose that SlPIF4 mediates SlPHYB2 temperature response in fruits. To test this hypothesis, we will evaluate the impacts of high temperature on plastidial biogenesis and fruit metabolism in plants with altered SlPHYB2 and SlPIF4 activity. The results will provide tools in order to mitigate the deleterious effects of high temperature on fruit metabolism and nutritional quality. (AU)