Effect of tunicamycin on in vitro ripening of tomato pericarp tissue

Ripening of pericarp tissue from mature green, early breaker and late breaker stages of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Dombito) fruit development was inhibitied by tunicamycin. Ripening was evaluated by lycopene accumulation, chlorophyll degradation, rate of ethylene production and cell wall‐bound polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15) activity. Maximum inhibition of these ripening parameters occurred at a treatment of 240 μ M tunicamycin for 2 h except for cell wall‐bound polygalacturonase activity, which was greatly inhibited by concentrations of 12 μ tunicamycin or higher. Tunicamycin treatment at 120 μ M for 2 h inhibited the incorporation of [ 3 H]‐mannose into macromolecules (about 70%) and pronase‐sensitive material (about 65%) and the incorporation of [ 3 H]‐leucine into proteins (about 20%). Our results indicate that protein glycosylation plays an important role in the ripening of tomato pericarp tissue.