Rubus idaeus RiACS1 Gene Is Involved in Ethylene Synthesis and Accelerates Fruit Ripening in Solanum lycopersicum

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors,

Thank you very much for allowing me to review this work. It is an interesting article about the development of a new approach to improve raspberry storability through the application of molecular techniques. However, the first thing that I noticed is that this work has a similar structure and design to other previously published by the authors in January, regarding the overexpression of the polygalacturonase gene RiPG2 isolated from raspberry in tomatoes. The only change seems to be the focus on softening per fruit ripening.

Anyway, this work presents detailed results on the transformation of tomato plants with the ACS gene from raspberries. However, the description of the transgenic tomatoes and the experimental design used for the physiological and quality determinations is unclear in the materials and methods section. In Figure 5, the authors display an image depicting the phenotype of the sampled fruits, showcasing various developmental stages. But it is crucial to note that the author’s aim is to enhance the storability of raspberries. Therefore, it is unclear why they did not design a shelf-life experiment.

In my view, this work has important lacks in the aim and design of the experiments to achieve a strong conclusion. In this sense, I have a reasonable doubt if it is appropriate to establish an experiment with tomatoes to determine the involvement of ACS in fruit ripening and then compare those results with a non-climacteric fruit such as raspberries. It is well known that ACS genes participate in the ripening process in both, climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, regulating the synthesis of endogenous ethylene, but perhaps the regulation could be different.

Other surprising quality parameter measured by the authors was the anthocyanidins in tomatoes. Since, the tomatoes can synthesize anthocyanins in green parts of the plant, but not in the fruit. Although with genetic engineering and breeding it is possible to re-establish the synthesis of anthocyanins in the fruits. Anyway, this was not the purpose of this work, and in the results the wild type also increases these compounds comparing days after flowering 28 and 37.

Therefore, those inconsistencies make me decide to reject this work for its publication in a journal with the impact of Agronomy.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

It is very difficult to understand some phrases whitin the text, therefore I recommend reviewing the English.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

General comments

The authors have addressed a significant and timely issue in plant molecular biology, focusing on the role of the RiACS1 gene in fruit ripening and its potential applications for horticultural crop improvement. They have demonstrated the functional role of RiACS1 in promoting early flowering and ripening through ethylene biosynthesis, which has potential applications in horticultural biotechnology, particularly in breeding programs targeting fruit quality and shelf life.

Specific comments

The introduction part appears a little vague with some non-important information. Hence, the authors are suggested to revise and improve the introduction part by giving more emphasis to the horticultural and commercial relevance of the study.

The methodology adopted was robust as the authors have combined multiple complementary methods, including qPCR, subcellular localization, and transgenic validation.

In the results section, expression analysis of ethylene biosynthesis genes appeared more descriptive, which could be comprehended if possible.

The discussion part is well written; however, if possible, it could be expanded to include broader comparisons with other ethylene-related genes in non-climacteric species.

The conclusion part lacks the practical utility of the current study, and hence authors may add a few sentences on how these findings could influence or assist the breeding strategies of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits.

All the figures and illustrations provided are appropriate; however, the authors can also add a picture of the raspberry showing its deterioration during storage, if available with them, as this is not a so common crop around the globe and most of the readers will be excited to see it.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing is required.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

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Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The names of the journals should be summarised 

Author Response

comments 1: The names of the journals should be summarised

Response 1: Thank you for your kind suggestion.We have summarized the journal names and changed it to 

Rubus idaeus RiACS1 Gene Involved in Ethylene Synthesis and Accelerates Fruit Ripening in Solanum lycopersicum