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  29 $page->header('The Seymour Lab', undef, $stylesheet);
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  31
  32   <center>
  33     <h1>The Seymour Lab</h1>
  34   </center>
  35
  36   <p class="footnote" style="text-align:center"><img src=
  37   "/static_content/community/feature/200409-1.jpg" border="0" width="570" height="300" alt=
  38   "The Seymour Lab" /><br />
  39   Kavita Kulkarni, Mervin Poole, Ken Manning, Graham B. Seymour,
  40   Alex Popovich and Peter G. Walley</p>
  41
  42   <p>Fleshy fruits are economically highly valuable and provide a
  43   substantial part of the daily intake of vitamins and minerals
  44   whether they are consumed in a fresh or processed condition.
  45   There is evidence emerging that the genes that regulate ripening
  46   in fruits have been conserved during evolution. In our laboratory
  47   the aim is to isolate key members of this class of regulatory
  48   genes and investigate their role in ripening. There are three
  49   strands to our work in this area:</p>
  50
  51   <p>One approach is to clone the wild type allele of the gene
  52   responsible for the Colourless non-ripening (Cnr ) mutation of
  53   tomato. In tomato a small number of single gene mutations exist,
  54   such as rin, nor and Cnr which have pleiotropic effects resulting
  55   in the reduction or almost complete abolition of ripening. These
  56   probably represent lesions in ripening-regulatory genes. For
  57   instance Cnr results in a non-ripening phenotype with two
  58   distinct characteristics: (1) firm fruit with reduced
  59   cell-to-cell adhesion and (2) complete abolition of carotenoid
  60   biosynthesis in the pericarp (see Thompson et al. Plant
  61   Physiology 120: 383-389, 1999: Orfila et al. Plant Physiology,
  62   126: 210-221, 2001). We have used a genetic map-based approach to
  63   isolate a candidate for the gene at the Cnr locus (T&ouml;r et
  64   al, 104: 165-170; 2002; Manning et al, manuscript in preparation)
  65   and want to understand its role in juiciness and colour
  66   development.</p>
  67
  68   <p>In collaboration with Jim Giovannoni at Cornell we are
  69   investigating whether strawberry orthologues of the tomato genes
  70   RIN and NOR can modulate ripening in this non-climacteric fruit.
  71   Mutant alleles of these genes have previously been used in
  72   conventional breeding to enhance texture and shelf- life in
  73   commercial tomato.</p>
  74
  75   <p>We are utilizing information from an advanced genetic
  76   framework in the dry fruited Arabidopsis to unravel the control
  77   of cell separation and softening in fleshy fruits. One of the
  78   tomato genes, TDR4, is a likely orthologue of the Arabidopsis
  79   gene FRUITFULL. In Arabidopsis this MADS-box gene is involved in
  80   the control of valve cell differentiation (the cells
  81   corresponding to the tomato pericarp). In ful mutants, valve
  82   cells adopt the fate of dehiscence zone cells, which are normally
  83   programmed to undergo cell separation when the fruit matures.
  84   (Ferr&aacute;ndiz, Liljegren and Yanofsky, 2000. Science 289,
  85   436-438). We are testing whether TDR4 can substitute for
  86   FRUITFULL in Arabidopsis and investigating its role in tomato
  87   fruit ripening.</p>
  88
  89   <p>Other projects on-going in the lab include the identification
  90   and resolution of QTL for mechanical properties in tomato fruits
  91   and isolation of novel mutants affecting fruit quality.</p>
  92
  93   <p>Additionally GBS is spearheading, in collaboration with Gerard
  94   Bishop at Imperial College and Glenn Bryan at Scottish Crop
  95   Research Institute, the UK Solanaceae Research Community
  96   contribution to the International effort to sequence the tomato
  97   genome.</p>
  98
  99   <p class="footnote"><img src="/static_content/community/feature/200409-2.jpg" border="0" width=
 100   "645" height="445" alt="Fleshy fruits" /><br />
 101   <b>Redrawn and modified from The Evolution of Plants and Flowers,
 102   B. Thomas, Eurobook Ltd, Wallingford, UK</b></p>
 103
 104   <p>Fleshy fruits are likely to have evolved from dry forms. Have
 105   genes controlling cell separation in ripening fruits been
 106   conserved during evolution.</p>
 107
 108   <p class="footnote"><img src="/static_content/community/feature/200409-3.jpg" border="0" width=
 109   "698" height="562" alt="Colourless non-ripening" /><br />
 110   <b>Colourless non-ripening (Cnr)</b></p>
 111
 112   <p>Cnr fruits show a non-ripening phenotype with significant loss
 113   of cell adhesion in the pericarp</p>
 114
 115   <h2>Contact Information</h2>
 116
 117   <p>Dr Graham B. Seymour<br />
 118   Warwick HRI<br />
 119   University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK.<br />
 120   Tel: 44 24 7657 4455<br />
 121   Fax 24 7657 4500<br />
 122   <a href=
 123   "mailto:graham.seymour\@warwick.ac.uk">graham.seymour\@warwick.ac.uk</a></p>
 124
 125   <h2>Selected Recent Publications</h2>
 126
 127   <p class="bibliography">Eriksson, E.M., Bovy, A., Manning, K.,
 128   Harrison, L., Andrews, J., De Silva, J., Tucker, G.A. and
 129   Seymour, G.B. (2004). Effects of the Colourless non-ripening
 130   (Cnr) mutation on gene expression and cell wall biochemistry
 131   during tomato fruit development and ripening. Plant Physiology
 132   (submitted for publication).</p>
 133
 134   <p class="bibliography">Marin, C., Smith, D., Manning, K.,
 135   Orchard, J. and Seymour, G.B. (2003). Pectate lyase gene
 136   expression and enzyme activity in ripening banana fruit. Plant
 137   Molecular Biology 51, 851-857.</p>
 138
 139   <p class="bibliography">Tor, M., Manning, K., King, G.J.,
 140   Thompson, A.J., Jones, G.H., Seymour, G.B. and Armstrong, S. J.
 141   (2002). Genetic analysis and FISH mapping of the Colourless
 142   non-ripening locus of tomato. Theoretical and Applied Genetics
 143   40, 165-170.</p>
 144
 145   <p class="bibliography">Fraser, P.D., Bramley, P. and Seymour,
 146   G.B. (2001). Effect of the Cnr mutation on carotenoid formation
 147   during tomato fruit ripening. Phytochemistry 58, 75-79.</p>
 148
 149   <p class="bibliography">King, G.J., Lynn, J.R., Dover, C.J.,
 150   Evans, K.M. and Seymour, G.B. (2001). Resolution of quantitative
 151   trait loci for mechanical measures accounting for genetic
 152   variation in fruit texture of apple (Malus pumila Mill).
 153   Theoretical and Applied Genetics 102, 1227-1235.</p>
 154
 155   <p class="bibliography">Orfila, C., Seymour, G.B., Willats,
 156   W.G.T., Huxham, I.M., Jarvis, M.C., Dover, C.J., Thompson, A.J.
 157   and Knox, J.P. (2001). Altered middle lamella homogalacturonan
 158   and disrupted deposition of (1-5)-(-L- arabinan in the pericarp
 159   of Cnr, a ripening mutant of tomato. Plant Physiology 126,
 160   210-221.</p>
 161
 162   <p class="bibliography">Drury, R., Hortensteiner, S., Donnison,
 163   I., Bird, C.R. and Seymour, G.B. (1999). Gene expression and
 164   chlorophyll catabolism in the peel of ripening banana fruits.
 165   Physiologia Plantarum 107, 32-38.</p>
 166
 167   <p class="bibliography">Huxham, I.M., Jarvis, M.C., Shakespeare,
 168   L., Dover, C.J., Juhnson,D., Knox, J.P. and Seymour, G.B. (1999).
 169   Electron energy loss spectroscopic imaging of calcium and
 170   nitrogen in the cell walls of apple fruits. Planta 208,
 171   438-443.</p>
 172
 173   <p class="bibliography">Thompson, A.J., Tor, M., Barry, C.S.,
 174   Vrebalov, J., Orfila, C., Jarvis, M.C., GiovannoniI, J.J.,
 175   Grierson, D. and Seymour, G.B. (1999). Molecular and genetic
 176   characterisation of a novel pleiotropic tomato ripening mutant.
 177   Plant Physiology 120, 383-389.</p>
 178 END_HEREDOC
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