A study of tomatoes has uncovered how a variant of a gene stretches out fruit, according to The Telegraph.
The study could help understanding of the huge difference in shape among different fruits and vegetables, as well as provide new information on basic plant development.
Tomatoes have evolved into a range of different shapes and sizes since they were developed from the wild tomato plant.
But scientists led by Prof Esther van der Knaap and Dr Han Xiao at Ohio State University in the US have linked an elongated shape to a gene called SUN in a particular tomato variety.
The journal Science reports that a duplication of this gene and a new genetic switch called a promoter led to an increase in the gene’s use in the plant, causing the stretched shape.
“We want to understand what kind of genes caused the enormous increase in fruit size and variation in fruit shape as tomatoes were domesticated,” said Van der Knaap.
“Once we know all the genes that were selected during the 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, cucumbers and gourds.”
The gene duplication event is thought to have been caused by a kind of viral RNA called a retrotransposon, which inserts itself into various spots within the plant’s genetic code.
The scientists say their findings demonstrate that retrotransposons may be a major driving force in genome evolution, especially in plants.
The only other fruit shape gene to have been previously identified is OVATE, which makes tomatoes pear shaped.
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