Asr genes belong to a gene family comprising at least three closely linked loci on chromosome 4 in tomato

Abstract

Asr1, Asr2 and Asr3 are three homologous clones isolated from tomato whose expression is believed to be regulated by abscisic acid (ABA); the corresponding genes thus participate in physiological and developmental processes such as responses of leaf and root to water stress, and fruit ripening. In this report, results obtained with Near Isogenic Lines reveal that Asr1, Asr2 and Asr3 represent three different loci. In addition, we map these genes on the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) map of the tomato genome by using an F2 population derived from an interspecific hybrid cross L. esculentum x L. penelli. RFLP data allow us to map these genes on chromosome 4, suggesting that they belong to a gene family. The elucidation of the genomic organization of the Asr gene family may help in understanding the role of its members in the response to osmotic stress, as well as in fruit ripening, at the molecular level.