Bigger and tastier tomatoes and eggplants could soon become a reality, thanks to groundbreaking research by scientists at Johns Hopkins University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Their discovery of genes that control fruit size holds the potential to revolutionize agriculture, particularly in regions where small local varieties limit large-scale production.
Published in the journal Nature, the study sheds light on how genetic modifications can enhance crop yields. By leveraging CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, researchers identified key genetic duplicates—paralogs—that influence flowering time, fruit size, and shape. The ability to selectively tweak these genes offers unprecedented control over plant traits.
“Once you’ve done the gene editing, all it takes is one seed to start a revolution,” said Michael Schatz, co-lead author and geneticist at Johns Hopkins University. “With the right approvals, we could mail an engineered seed to Africa or anywhere it’s needed and open up entirely new agricultural markets.”
The research is part of an ambitious project to map the complete genomes of 22 crops in the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants. Computational analysis revealed that more than half of the genes in these plants had been duplicated over time, influencing their development and characteristics.
In an experiment involving the forest nightshade native to Australia, researchers found that turning off both copies of the CLV3 gene paralogs resulted in malformed, unusable fruit. However, careful editing of just one copy produced larger, more commercially viable fruit. Similarly, in the African eggplant, a gene named SaetSCPL25-like was discovered to control the number of seed cavities—more cavities correlated with larger tomatoes when introduced into the tomato plant’s genome.
The implications of this research extend beyond individual crops. Katharine Jenike, who assembled the genome sequences while a PhD student in Schatz’s lab, emphasized the significance of having full genome sequences. “It’s like having a new treasure map. We can see where and when one genetic path diverges from another and explore genetic information in places we wouldn’t have thought to look.”
This approach, termed “pan-genetics” by Schatz and his team, highlights the potential of cross-species genetic studies to accelerate agricultural advancements. “We leveraged decades of work in tomato genetics to rapidly advance African eggplants, and along the way, we found entirely new genes in African eggplants that reciprocally advance tomatoes,” Schatz said. “This opens endless opportunities to bring many new fruits, foods, and flavors to dinner plates around the world.”
With further research and regulatory approval, these genetic discoveries could help create larger, more flavorful, and more resilient crops, ultimately transforming food production worldwide.
- Article Source: Nature
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