Photosynthesis and Chloroplast Regulation in Solanaceous Fruit

Improving the photosynthetic capacity in fruit is an opportunity to expand the repertoire of energy capturing capabilities of plants for the benefit of the part of the plant that is important for healthy human diets. We have shown that enhancing photosynthesis in green pre-ripe tomato fruit improves the antioxidant and sugar contents of the fruit when ripe and that expression of either of at least two transcription factors, well conserved but highly regulated in the Solanaceae family, increases the capacity for green fruit photosynthesis without impairing normal ripening processes. This project expands our knowledge about how photosynthesis and chloroplast assembly is regulated in fruit with the goal of improving the quality of the fruit product, perhaps even in limited light conditions.