Regulation of Tomato Fruit Autophagic Flux and Promotion of Fruit Ripening by the Autophagy-Related Gene SlATG8f

Autophagy is a highly conserved self-degradation process that involves the degradation and recycling of cellular components and organelles. Although the involvement of autophagy in metabolic changes during fruit ripening has been preliminarily demonstrated, the variations in autophagic flux and specific functional roles in tomato fruit ripening remain to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the variations in autophagic flux during tomato fruit ripening. The results revealed differential expression of the SlATG8 family members during tomato fruit ripening. Transmission electron microscopy observations and dansylcadaverine (MDC) staining confirmed the presence of autophagy at the cellular level in tomato fruits. Furthermore, the overexpression of SlATG8f induced the formation of autophagosomes, increased autophagic flux within tomato fruits, and effectively enhanced the expression of ATG8 proteins during the color-transition phase of fruit ripening, thus promoting tomato fruit maturation. SlATG8f overexpression also led to the accumulation of vitamin C (VC) and soluble solids while reducing acidity in the fruit. Collectively, our findings highlight the pivotal role of SlATG8f in enhancing tomato fruit ripening, providing insights into the mechanistic involvement of autophagy in this process. This research contributes to a better understanding of the key factors that regulate tomato fruit quality and offers a theoretical basis for tomato variety improvement.