Abstract
Tomato fruit size results from the combination of cell number and cell size which are respectively determined by cell division and cell expansion processes. As fruit growth is mainly sustained by cell expansion, the development of pericarp and locular tissues is characterized by the concomitant arrest of mitotic activity, inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity, and numerous rounds of endoreduplication inducing a spectacular increase in DNA ploidy and mean cell size. To decipher the molecular basis of the endoreduplication-associated cell growth in fruit, we investigated the putative involvement of the WEE1 kinase (Solly;WEE1). We here report a functional analysis of Solly;WEE1 in tomato. Impairing the expression of Solly;WEE1 in transgenic tomato plants resulted in a reduction of plant size and fruit size. In the most altered phenotypes, fruits displayed a reduced number of seeds without embryo development. The reduction of plant-, fruit- and seed size originated from a reduction in cell size which could be correlated with a decrease of the DNA ploidy levels. At the molecular level downregulating Solly;WEE1 in planta resulted in the increase of CDKA activity levels originating from a decrease of the amount of Y15-phosphorylated CDKA, thus indicating a release of the negative regulation on CDK activity exerted by WEE1. Our data indicated that Solly;WEE1 participates in the control of cell size and/or the onset of the endoreduplication process putatively driving cell expansion.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Impaired Solly;WEE1 expression reduced tomato plant and fruit size.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- Impairing the expression of Solly;WEE1e0
- Gene
- Solly;WEE1e0
- Outcome
- plant size and fruit sizee0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Impairing the expression of Solly;WEE1 in transgenic tomato plants resulted in a reduction of plant size and fruit size.”
Claim · model-written summary
The most altered fruits had fewer seeds and lacked embryo development.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Organ / stage
- fruitse0
- Outcome
- reduced number of seeds without embryo developmente0
- Direction
- reducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the most altered phenotypes, fruits displayed a reduced number of seeds without embryo development.”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Smaller plant, fruit and seed size originated from smaller cells correlated with decreased DNA ploidy.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- reduction of plant-, fruit- and seed sizee0
- Qualifier
- reduction in cell size which could be correlated with a decrease of the DNA ploidy levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The reduction of plant-, fruit- and seed size originated from a reduction in cell size which could be correlated with a decrease of the DNA ploidy levels.”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Downregulation of Solly;WEE1 increased CDKA activity.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- downregulating Solly;WEE1e0
- Gene
- Solly;WEE1e0
- Outcome
- CDKA activity levelse0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“downregulating Solly;WEE1 in planta resulted in the increase of CDKA activity levels originating from a decrease of the amount of Y15-phosphorylated CDKA”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Downregulation of Solly;WEE1 decreased Y15-phosphorylated CDKA.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- downregulating Solly;WEE1e0
- Gene
- Y15-phosphorylated CDKAe0
- Outcome
- amount of Y15-phosphorylated CDKAe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“downregulating Solly;WEE1 in planta resulted in the increase of CDKA activity levels originating from a decrease of the amount of Y15-phosphorylated CDKA”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Solly;WEE1 may control cell size or onset of endoreduplication.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Gene
- Solly;WEE1e0
- Outcome
- control of cell size and/or the onset of the endoreduplication processe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Solly;WEE1 participates in the control of cell size and/or the onset of the endoreduplication process putatively driving cell expansion.”
t0“tomato”
The same questions in other papers
transgenic · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 9 in the opposite direction
- positive
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See all 16 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.