The impact of growing area on the expression of fruit traits re-lated to sensory perception in two tomato cultivars. The impact of growing area on the expression of fruit traits re-lated to sensory perception in two tomato cultivars

The environmental conditions greatly influence tomato fruit quality, by affecting the expression of genes, the abundance of metabolites and the perception of sensorial attributes.In this study, a fruit transcriptome investigation, together with a sensory test and a metabolomic analysis were per-formed to evaluate the impact of the environment on two popular tomato cultivars grown in two Italian regions. The transcriptional profile of each cultivar, cultivated in two different areas high-lighted differential expression in genes involved in pathways related to cell wall components such as pectin, lignin and hemicellulose, sugars as well as in amino acids, phenylpropanoids, and pigment synthesis. The cultivation area mainly affects sensory attributes related to texture and flavor and the metabolic pattern of cell wall precursors, sugars, glutamate, aspartate and carotenoids. In the two genotypes cultivated in the same environment, some attributes and fruit-related quality processes are similarly affected, while others are differently influenced based on tomato specific genetic makeup. Combination of transcriptomic, sensory and metabolomic data obtained from the two tomato genotypes revealed that the environment has a profound effect on specific sensory traits, providing information on factors that shape the specific characteristics and genetic targets for im-proving tomato fruit characteristics. Overall design: To evaluate the effect if the environment on tomato fruit quality, two tomato genotypes, Dardo and Pixel, (Solanum lycopersicum) were grown in two Italian locations, Battipaglia and Fondi. RNA-seq performed on fruits was used to identify DEGs between the two environments related to fruit quality. A sensory evaluation was performed to identify sensory attributes affected by the environment. A metabolic analysis including key metabolites related to fruit quality was performed to evaluate the difference in aboundance between the two environments in both genotypes.

环境条件可通过调控基因表达、改变代谢物丰度以及影响感官属性感知，显著影响番茄果实品质。本研究联合开展果实转录组（transcriptome）分析、感官评价与代谢组学（metabolomics）分析，以探究环境对种植于两个意大利地区的两个热门番茄栽培品种的影响。对在两处不同区域种植的各品种的转录组谱分析显示，果胶、木质素、半纤维素等细胞壁组分相关通路、糖类代谢通路，以及氨基酸、苯丙烷类与色素合成通路所涉及的基因均存在差异表达。种植区域主要影响与果实质地、风味相关的感官属性，以及细胞壁前体、糖类、谷氨酸、天冬氨酸与类胡萝卜素的代谢模式。在同一环境下种植的两个基因型（genotype）中，部分果实属性及相关品质过程受到的影响较为相似，而其余属性则因番茄特有的遗传背景而呈现不同的响应模式。整合两个番茄基因型的转录组学、感官评价及代谢组学数据后，本研究发现环境对特定感官性状具有显著调控作用，可为解析塑造番茄果实特有品质的关键因素以及改良番茄果实性状的遗传靶点提供重要参考。整体实验设计：为探究环境对番茄果实品质的影响，本研究将两个番茄基因型——达多（Dardo）与派克斯（Pixel），属于普通番茄（*Solanum lycopersicum*）——种植于意大利的两个试验地点：巴蒂帕利亚（Battipaglia）与丰迪（Fondi）。对果实样本开展RNA-seq（RNA测序）分析，以鉴定两处环境下与果实品质相关的差异表达基因（differentially expressed genes，DEGs）。开展感官评价试验以识别受环境影响的果实感官属性。同时开展涵盖果实品质关键代谢物的代谢组学分析，以评估两个基因型在两处环境下的代谢物丰度差异。