Engineering Phytonutrient Content in Tomato by Genome Editing Technologies

Abstract

The application of precise genome editing represents an important step-forward in plant functional genomics research and crop improvement by generating tailored modifications within a target genome sequence. Among the genome editing technologies, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been the most largely one applied in many crop species, thanks to its high customizable specificity. Tomato is one of the most cultivated and consumed horticultural crops worldwide and an ideal model plant for studying different physiological processes (e.g., plant development, response to biotic/abiotic stresses, fruit quality) by using different approaches, such as conventional breeding, classical transgenesis and genome editing technologies. In recent years, the number of studies on the genome editing application in tomato has increasingly grown, particularly for the improvement of fruit quality and nutritional value. In this chapter, we report about the main achievements provided by such technologies for engineering the content of nutritionally relevant compounds, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins, and other important phytonutrients in tomato fruit.