Poster: Late and Moved Abstracts

Abs # 1401: ELIP expression in developing tomato fruit

Presenter:	Bruno, Arianna K, abruno@email.smith.edu
Authors	Bruno, Arianna K (A)   Wetzel, Carolyn M (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Biological Sciences, Smith College

Chloroplast early light inducible proteins (ELIPs) are thylakoid proteins related to light harvesting complex proteins that are induced by diverse conditions of stress to the plant (e.g., high light, desiccation, senescence). ELIPs show dramatic induction during seedling deetiolation in a variety of plant species. In this study, the cDNA for an ELIP from tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Rutgers, was identified and utilized to study its mRNA expression during different stages of development. The genomic copy of the tomato ELIP was cloned using PCR and the sequence was analyzed. When the induction of this gene occurred in etiolated tomato seedlings exposed to light, the mRNA expression pattern was typical of ELIP observed in other species. The mRNA expression of ELIP was also examined during fruit development and ripening. A significant transient increase in mRNA expression of ELIP was observed during the breaker stage. This suggests a role for ELIP during the extensive changes that occur in thylakoid structure when chloroplasts differentiate into chromoplasts.