Chlorophyll breakdown is one of the most obvious signs of leaf senescence and fruit
ripening. The resulting yellowing of leaves can be observed every autumn, and the color …

Tomato ripening is a highly coordinated developmental process that coincides with seed
maturation. Regulated expression of thousands of genes controls fruit softening as well as …

Photosynthesis is currently a focus for crop improvement. The majority of this work has taken
place and been assessed in leaves, and limited consideration has been given to the …

Carotenoids serve diverse functions in vastly different organisms that both produce and
consume them. Enhanced carotenoid accumulation is of great importance in the visual and …

The maturation of green fleshy fruit to become colourful and flavoursome is an important
strategy for plant reproduction and dispersal. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and many …

Lipoxygenases (LOXs) are lipid peroxidizing enzymes, implicated in the pathogenesis of
inflammatory and hyperproliferative diseases, which represent potential targets for …

Chromoplasts are special organelles that possess superior ability to synthesize and store
massive amounts of carotenoids. They are responsible for the distinctive colors found in …

Development of chloroplasts and other plastids depends on the import of thousands of
nucleus-encoded proteins from the cytosol. Import is initiated by TOC (translocon at the outer …

Chromoplasts are carotenoid-accumulating plastids conferring color to many flowers and
fruits as well as to some tubers and roots. Chromoplast differentiation proceeds from …

Although genomes of mitochondria and plastids are very small compared to those of their
bacterial ancestors, the transcription machineries of these organelles are of surprising …