Characterization & Purification of an Endogenous Ethylene Trigger

9218347 Tong The goal of this project is to purify, characterize, and determine the effects on flavor and ripening of an endogenous tomato fruit trigger of ethylene production which we have previously partially purified from fruit cell walls. This trigger is produced when the fruit are unripe and before ethylene production begins. It will induce ethylene synthesis and red color development in normal ripening fruit as well as in mutant fruit that normally do not produce ethylene or turn red when ripe. It clearly has a role in fruit ripening, affecting ethylene synthesis and therefore fruit softening and color development. Preliminary characterization of the trigger has shown that it contains both carbohydrate and protein. The proposed project will 1) determine if both carbohydrate and protein are necessary for trigger activity by selectively degrading the carbohydrate or protein moiety using enzymes or chemicals and then testing for activity, and 2) purify the endogenous trigger using various chromatographic procedures. Achieving the goals of this project should provide new information in an under-studied area of plant hormone research, the onset of hormone production. ***