British researchers have received over 1 million euros to participate in a global project to sequence the genes of tomato, a health promoting ingredient used widely in the food industry. By identifying genes responsible for important crop traits, participants in the three-year project believe the tomato genome could lead to new and improved tomato varieties. Led by researchers from Imperial College London, University of Warwick and the Scottish Crop Research Institute, the UK team is part of an international effort to develop a reference genome sequence for the plant family Solanaceae, to which the tomato belongs, along with other widely consumed crops - aubergines, paprika and the potato.“For the first time, by accessing the immense natural variation in the gene pool, we will be able to produce new and improved varieties through conventional breeding programmes,” said Dr Graham Seymour, co-leader of the project at the University of Warwick’s horticultural research arm. The 12 chromosomes present in tomato have been allocated to 10 international teams for sequencing, as part of the overarching International Solanaceae Genome Project. The British Team led by Imperial and Warwick will examine the gene rich regions of tomato chromosome 4.
