A review article clarifies auxin and GA signaling interactions during fruit formation in horticultural crops

With this in mind, researchers from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University have published the first recent review of research progress on the functions of auxin and GA in fruit development. The review answers these questions using molecular and genetic evidence from research on fruit development in the model plant Arabidopsis and the horticultural plants tomato, strawberry, and grape.

The molecular mechanisms of the auxin and GA signaling pathways have been well studied in Arabidopsis. Auxin and GA are perceived by receptor proteins that activate their downstream pathways and ultimately regulate fruit development. The regulation of gene expression by auxin is directly controlled by ARF transcription factor proteins, and GA signaling is negatively regulated by the master repressor DELLA proteins, which interrupt downstream transcription factors. Both auxin and GA promote fruit growth. It has long been known that auxin can promote GA biosynthesis in many plant species by upregulating GA biosynthesis genes. Auxin- and GA-related mutants in many species show parthenocarpy (fruit formation without fertilization of the ovule), indicating that these hormones—and possibly their interactions—play key roles in the regulation of fruit initiation and development. Recent studies have provided clear molecular and genetic evidence that ARF/IAA and DELLA proteins interact with one another and regulate both auxin and GA signaling pathways in response to these hormones during fruit growth in tomato (the most studied fleshy fruit) and strawberry (a model Rosaceae species). The same molecular mechanisms are also seen in grape. These recent findings provide new insights into the mechanisms by which auxin and GA regulate fruit development.

More information can be found in the review ‘Interplays between auxin and GA signaling coordinate early fruit development’ published in the journal Horticulture Research.

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Reference

Authors

Hai He and Chizuko Yamamuro

Affiliations

FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University

About Dr. Chizuko Yamamuro

Prof. Chizuko Yamamuro currently works at the FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. Her research focuses on DNA methylation/demethylation, as well as plant hormones and their roles in plant growth and development. Her research results have been published in Nature Communications, The Plant Cell, Molecular Plant, and other top international journals.