Relationship of Carotene and Xanthophyll Production in Tomato Strains and Their Progenies

Abstract

Gene B and gene Del involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids, particularly xanthophylls such as tunaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are contained in the fruits of various tomato strains and their hybrids were studied. It is known that gene B blocks the biosynthesis of lycopene and transforms lycopene to β-carotene via β-zeacarotene and γ-carotene. This study revealed that gene B is also involved in the biosynthesis of zeaxanthin, a xanthophyll of the β-ionone end group, and increases the production of lutein. Gene Del is also known to block the biosynthesis of lycopene and produce δ-carotene, α-carotene and ε-carotene. It was revealed by the present study that gene Del also markedly increases the biosynthesis of lutein, a xanthophyll of the ε-ionone end group. Further, tunaxanthin which was previously undetected in tomatoes was observed for the first time. This study has thus confirmed that gene Del induces its production.