Control of fruit ripening and senescence in plants

A method for producing tomatoes which exhibit a delayed-ripening phenotype which comprises:

• a) obtaining regenerable cells of a tomato plant;
• b) transforming said cells by inserting into the genome of said cells a recombinant, double-stranded DNA molecule which causes a reduction of ethylene biosynthesis, said molecule comprising in sequence in the 5' to 3' direction:
• (i) a promoter region which functions in ripening tomato fruit to cause the production of an RNA sequence, said promoter region operably linked to;
• (ii) a structural DNA sequence that causes the production of an RNA sequence that encodes a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase enzyme, said structural sequence operably-linked to;
• (iii) a 3' non-translated region that functions in plant cells to polyadenylate the 3' end of said RNA sequence,
• wherein said promoter is heterologous with respect to said structural DNA sequence;
• c) regenerating a tomato plant from the transformed tomato plant cell;
• and
• d) growing said transformed tomato plant to produce tomatoes which demonstrate delayed ripening.

A transgenic tomato plant which exhibits a delayed-ripening phenotype, said plant comprising a recombinant, double-stranded DNA molecule which causes a reduction of ethylene biosynthesis, said molecule comprising in sequence in the 5' to 3' direction:

• (i) a promoter region that causes the production of an RNA sequence in ripening tomato fruit, said promoter region operably-linked to;
• (ii) a structural DNA sequence that causes the production of an RNA sequence that encodes a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase enzyme, said structural sequence operably-linked to;
• (iii) a 3' non-translated region that functions in plant cells to polyadenylate the 3' end of said RNA sequence;
• wherein said promoter is heterologous with respect to said structural DNA sequence.

A transgenic tomato fruit which exhibits a delayed-ripening phenotype, said tomato comprising a recombinant, double-stranded DNA molecule which causes a reduction of ethylene biosynthesis, said molecule comprising in sequence in the 5' to 3' direction:

• (i) a promoter region that causes the production of an RNA sequence in ripening tomato fruit, said promoter region operably-linked to;
• (ii) a structural DNA sequence that causes the production of an RNA sequence that encodes a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase enzyme, said structural sequence operably-linked to;
• (iii) a 3' non-translated region that functions in plant cells to polyadenylate the 3' end of said RNA sequence;
• wherein said promoter is heterologous with respect to said structural DNA sequence.

A method for producing tomatoes which have a delayed-ripening phenotype which comprises:

• a) obtaining regenerable cells of a tomato plant;
• b) transforming said cells by inserting into the genome of said cells a recombinant, double-stranded DNA molecule capable of causing a reduction of ethylene biosynthesis, said molecule comprising in sequence in the 5' to 3' direction:
• (i) a CaMV 35S promoter region, said promoter region operably linked to;
• (ii) a structural DNA sequence that encodes the protein encoded by SEQ ID NO. 1, said structural sequence operably-linked to;
• (iii) a 3' non-translated region that functions in plant cells to polyadenylate the 3' end of said RNA sequence;
• c) regenerating a tomato plant from said transformed tomato plant cell;
• and
• d) growing said transformed tomato plant to produce tomatoes which have a delayed ripening phenotype.