Galacturonosyltransferase 4 silencing alters pectin composition and carbon partitioning in tomato

Pectin is a main component of the plant cell wall and is the most complex family of polysaccharides in nature. Its composition is essential for the normal growth and morphology pattern, as demonstrated by pectin-defective mutant phenotypes. Besides this basic role in plant physiology, in tomato, pectin structure contributes to very important quality traits such as fruit firmness. Sixty-seven different enzymatic activities have been suggested to be required for pectin biosynthesis, but only a few genes have been identified and studied so far. This study characterized the tomato galacturonosyltransferase (GAUT) family and performed a detailed functional study of the GAUT4 gene. The tomato genome harbours all genes orthologous to those described previously in Arabidopsis thaliana, and a transcriptional profile revealed that the GAUT4 gene was expressed at higher levels in developing organs. GAUT4-silenced tomato plants exhibited an increment in vegetative biomass associated with palisade parenchyma enlargement. Silenced fruits showed an altered pectin composition and accumulated less starch along with a reduced amount of pectin, which coincided with an increase in firmness. Moreover, the harvest index was dramatically reduced as a consequence of the reduction in the fruit weight and number. Altogether, these results suggest that, beyond its role in pectin biosynthesis, GAUT4 interferes with carbon metabolism, partitioning, and allocation. Hence, this cell-wall-related gene seems to be key in determining plant growth and fruit production in tomato

A propos des Tiques de Suisse (Arachnoidea, Acarina, Ixodoidea)

Volume: 72Start Page: 577End Page: 58

Automotive enterprise transformation: Build to order as a sustainable and innovative strategy for the automotive industry?

© IIE, INCOSE. The global financial crisis has significantly impacted the automotive industry. The crisis has reduced the supply of credit to industry, exposed process inefficiencies, and reduced credit to consumers, which has reduced sales. Firms are restructuring, with some seeking government financial support, but the industry is not addressing the underlying business model failure. The transformation of the automotive enterprise is proposed as a potential solution; from the build-to-stock (BTS) approach currently employed to a build-to-order (BTO) enterprise in the future. The BTO approach outlined in this article is drawn from a 4-year study by a European research consortium. The approach developed delivers the triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and societal prosperity by addressing wastes, such as overproduction and unnecessary transportation, and inventory coupled with innovative modular vehicle design and integrated supply chains