Releasing a sugar brake generates sweeter tomato without yield penalty.

ABSTRACT: In tomato, sugar content is highly correlated with consumer preferences, with most consumers preferring sweeter fruit^1-4. However, the sugar content of commercial varieties is generally low, as it is inversely correlated with fruit size, and growers prioritize yield over flavour quality^5-7. Here we identified two genes, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) calcium-dependent protein kinase 27 (SlCDPK27; also known as SlCPK27) and its paralogue SlCDPK26, that control fruit sugar content. They act as sugar brakes by phosphorylating a sucrose synthase, which promotes degradation of the sucrose synthase. Gene-edited SlCDPK27 and SlCDPK26 knockouts increased glucose and fructose contents by up to 30%, enhancing perceived sweetness without fruit weight or yield penalty. Although th

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11578880 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature