28/11/2019

The evolution of pest-resistant potatoes and non-bitter tomatoes

G2P-SOL scientist Dani Zamir (HUJI) recently co-authored the paper “Pathways to defense metabolites and evading fruit bitterness in genus Solanum evolved through 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases” which was published on the prestigious Nature Communications journal.

Scientists from renowned institutions in Israel, Spain, India and Germany discovered the enzyme which is responsible for the formation of specific secondary metabolites (steroidal glycoalkaloids) across various Solanum species. Interestingly, this enzyme prevents bitterness in ripe tomato fruits which otherwise would remain unpleasant in taste and more toxic.

Read the full paper here.
 
 
The G2P-SOL project (Title: Linking genetic resources, genomes and phenotypes of Solanaceous crops) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 677379.