FUNCTIONAL GAIN OF FRUIT NETTED-CRACKING IN AN INTROGRESSION LINE OF TOMATO WITH HIGHER EXPRESSION OF THE FNC GENE

• A novel netted-cracking fruit phenotype was discovered in tomato introgression line IL4-4. • A single dominant gene (FNC) determined the fruit netted-cracking phenotype. • The high transcript level of FNC results in the functional gain of fruit netted-cracking and it was found to be a common mechanism in a diverse range of plant species. Fruit cracking is a major disorder that affects the integrity of fruit and reduces the commercial value of tomato and other fleshy fruit. Here, we have found a novel fruit ‘netted-cracking’ (FNC) phenotype in tomato introgression line IL4-4 which is present in neither the donor parent (LA0716) nor the receptor parent (M82). An F₂ population was generated by crossing IL4-4 with M82 to genetically characterize the FNC gene and this showed that a single dominant gene determined fruit netted-cracking. Further map-based cloning narrowed down the FNC locus to a 230 kb region on chromosome 4. Sequencing and annotation analysis show that FNC (Solyc04 g082540) was the most likely candidate gene. Functional characterization of FNC by overexpressing FNC^AC and FNC^IL4-4 resulted in the fruit netted-cracking phenotype, suggesting that the FNC transcript level results in the functional gain of fruit netted-cracking. These findings were further confirmed by FNC ortholog in netted-cracking pepper and melon, indicating a common regulatory mechanism in different plant species. Furthermore, cytoplasm and nucleus-localized FNC indicates increased expression of genes involved in suberin, lignin, lipid transport and cell wall metabolism. These findings provide novel genetic insights into fruit netted-cracking and offer a way to promote molecular improvement toward cracking resistant cultivars.