Impact of Fungal Infection on the Expression of Fruit Ripening-Related Genes in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): A Bioinformatics Study

Sohrabi, Seyyed Mohsen; Panji, Anahita; Akbarabadi, Ali

doi:10.30473/cb.2026.76475.2025

Impact of Fungal Infection on the Expression of Fruit Ripening-Related Genes in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): A Bioinformatics Study

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, ahvaz, Iran

² Department of Plant Production and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

³ Horticultural Science Research Department, Khuzestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Ahvaz, Iran

10.30473/cb.2026.76475.2025

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important agricultural crop that is affected by fungal diseases that reduce yield and quality of its product. In this study, transcriptomic changes in tomato affected by different fungi were investigated to identify key genes related to resistance and fruit ripening process. In this study, transcriptomic data of fungal infected tomato fruits were obtained from databases and differentially expressed genes and related transcription factors were identified. Also, the characteristics of key genes were investigated using bioinformatics tools. Results showed different effect of fungi on tomato gene expression and showed the highest transcriptomic changes under Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infection. Data analysis identified 56 common genes between fungal treatments that played a role in pathways related to disease resistance and fruit ripening regulation. Also, six key genes were identified as potential factors in the regulation of fruit ripening under the influence of fungi. The promoter analysis of these genes showed that most of them comprised regulatory elements related to the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Also, the presence of hormonal elements related to ethylene, methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid indicates that these genes can be regulated by hormonal pathways related to fruit ripening and the response to fungi. The results of this study showed that similar regulatory mechanisms are activated in response to fungal stress and the ripening process, which can be effective in developing breeding strategies to improve tomato resistance to fungal diseases and control fruit ripening.

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