Cryptochromes are blue light photoreceptors found in plants, bacteria, and animals. In Arabidopsis, cryptochrome 2 (cry2) is involved primarily in the control of flowering time and in photomorphogenesis under low-fluence light. No data on the function of cry2 are available in plants, apart from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Expression of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) CKY2 gene was altered through a combination of transgenic overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing. Tomato CRY2 overexpressors show phenotypes similar to but distinct from their Arabidopsis counterparts (hypocotyl and internode shortening under both low- and high-fluence blue light), but also several novel ones, including a high-pigment phenotype, resulting in overproduction of anthocyanins and chlorophyll in leaves and of flavonoids and lycopene in fruits. The accumulation of lycopene in fruits is accompanied by the decreased expression of lycopene β-cyclase genes. CRY2 overexpression causes an unexpected delay in flowering, observed under both short- and long-day conditions, and an increased outgrowth of axillary branches. Virus-induced gene silencing of CRY2 results in a reversion of leaf anthocyanin accumulation, of internode shortening, and of late flowering in CRY2-overexpressing plants, whereas in wild-type plants it causes a minor internode elongation. © 2004 American Society of Plant Biologists.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant Biology
Research Field:	Plant Physiology
Objective Division:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:	Environmentally Sustainable Plant Production
Objective Field:	Environmentally Sustainable Plant Production not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Weller, JL (Associate Professor Jim Weller)
ID Code:	30673
Year Published:	2005
Web of Science® Times Cited:	181
Deposited By:	Plant Science
Deposited On:	2005-08-01
Last Modified:	2006-05-08
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