Fruit shape and ripening are major horticultural traits for many fruits and vegetable crops. Changes in fruit shape and ripening are often accomplished by altered cell division or cell expansion patterns. Gibberellic acids (GAs) are essential for tomato fruit development; however, the exact role and the underlying mechanism are still elusive. To elucidate the relationship between gibberellins and fruit shape and ripening in tomato, GA 3 and gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol (PAC) were applied to tomato. Fruit shape index was increased when GA 3 was applied, which was mainly attributed to the increased organ elongation. The expression levels of genes involved in cell elongation and expansion were altered at the same time. In addition, GA delayed the ripening time by regulating the transcript levels of ethylene-related genes. By contrast, PAC application decreased fruit shape index and shortened fruit ripening time. These results demonstrate that manipulation of GA levels can simultaneously influence tomato fruit shape and ripening. Further studies aimed to regulate fruit shape and ripening can be achieved by altering GA levels.

中文翻译：

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赤霉素和植物生长抑制剂多效唑改变番茄果实形状和成熟

果实形状和成熟是许多水果和蔬菜作物的主要园艺特性。果实形状和成熟的变化通常是通过改变细胞分裂或细胞扩张模式来实现的。赤霉酸 (GA) 对番茄果实发育至关重要；然而，确切的作用和潜在的机制仍然难以捉摸。为了阐明赤霉素与番茄果实形状和成熟之间的关系，将GA 3 和赤霉素生物合成抑制剂多效唑（PAC）应用于番茄。施用GA 3 时果实形状指数增加，这主要归因于器官伸长增加。参与细胞伸长和扩张的基因的表达水平同时改变。此外，GA通过调节乙烯相关基因的转录水平来延迟成熟时间。相比之下，PAC 的应用降低了果实形状指数并缩短了果实成熟时间。这些结果表明，操纵 GA 水平可以同时影响番茄果实的形状和成熟。通过改变 GA 水平可以实现旨在调节果实形状和成熟的进一步研究。