TOMATOMA: a novel tomato mutant database distributing Micro-Tom mutant collections

Area of Science:

• Plant genetics and molecular biology
• Solanaceae family research
• Model organism studies

Background:

• Tomatoes are ideal models for studying berry fruits and the Solanaceae family due to conserved genetics.
• A dwarf, rapid-growth variety, Micro-Tom, was used as the genetic background for mutagenesis.
• Previous studies generated significant mutagenized M2 lines via EMS and gamma irradiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate and characterize a comprehensive mutant tomato population.
• To identify and classify visible phenotypic alterations in mutagenized plants.
• To develop an integrated database for managing mutant and phenotypic data.

Main Methods:

• Ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis and gamma irradiation were employed to create mutations.
• Over 91,000 M2 plants from 9,183 M2 families were screened for phenotypic changes.
• Mutant phenotypes were classified into 15 major and 48 subcategories; genetic analysis confirmed inheritance.

Main Results:

• 1,048 individual mutants were isolated from the screened population.
• Mutants exhibited 1,819 distinct phenotypic categories, with 549 showing pleiotropic effects.
• Nearly saturated mutagenized populations were achieved, indicated by multiple alleles per locus.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully generated and characterized a large, diverse mutant tomato resource.
• The developed TOMATOMA database provides a centralized platform for accessing mutant and phenotypic data.
• This resource facilitates future genetic and phenotypic research in tomatoes and related species.