Gene controlling tomatoes' shape is cloned

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 9 (UPI) -- U.S. crop scientists say they have cloned a gene called SUN that can control the shape of tomatoes and possibly other fruits and vegetables.

Ohio State University researchers said their achievement might help delineate the genetic complexities involved in the morphological differences among edible fruits, vegetables and plant development.

Assistant Professor Esther van der Knaap, lead researcher in the National Science Foundation-funded study, said although tomatoes have evolved into various shapes, very little is known about the genetic basis for such transformations.

"We are trying to understand what kind of genes caused the enormous increase in fruit size and variation in fruit shape as tomatoes were domesticated," van der Knaap said. "Once we know all the genes that were selected during that process, we will be able to piece together how domestication shaped the tomato fruit -- and gain a better understanding of what controls the shape of other very diverse crops, such as peppers and the cucumber and squash family."

Asked if her lab could make small round cucumbers, van der Knaap said: "I'm not sure. But they would certainly look nice in a salad."