Chemical induction of the Arabidopsis thaliana CBF1 gene in transgenic tomato fruit to study postharvest chilling injury

Postharvest chilling injury (PCI) is a physiological disorder that contributes to the global loss and waste of fruit vegetables. Ectopic expression C-Repeat Binding Factor (CBF) transcription factors in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) alleviates vegetative injury, but their influence on PCI unknown. We developed dexamethasone (DEX)-inducible system with aim limiting high ectopic Arabidopsis thaliana CBF1 (AtCBF1) fruit, only during postharvest chilling. Our was (1) optimize DEX-inducible for AtCBF1 organ conditions interest, i.e., cold storage, (2) determine if could lessen symptoms. Here, we describe testing validation transformed lines from this system. In all tests, were stored under PCI-inducing or non-PCI-inducing conditions. Across storage time, immersion 50 μM DEX one hour prior 2.5 °C rewarming, induced 11- 91-fold (mean: 33-fold, median: 29-fold), significantly higher than 0.2- 3.2-fold 1.5-fold, 1.3-fold) without DEX. Fruit color, surface pitting decay incidence used indicate PCI. For genotype OE-8, symptoms lessened application compared wild-type. line OE-2, led riper at both 12.5 °C, while PCI-like control temperatures (12.5 °C), after rewarming. OE-6 elicited mild increase rate ripening first week findings show influenced color symptom-development, highlight tightly interconnected ripening. This report use chemical-inducible ectopically express gene study trait, provides basis investigating role