Transcriptional control of tomato fruit development and ripening

Tomato is one of the most consumed vegetable crops worldwide as its fruits are highly palatable and provide nutrition and vitamins. Scientifically, it is the model crop for fleshy fruit development and ripening studies, with a well-annotated genome and ample resources. Fruit development and ripening are complex processes regulated at different organizational levels, in which plant hormones (ethylene, auxin, gibberellin, and abscisic acid) and transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and epigenetic regulation form regulatory cascades or networks to function coordinately. Here, we review recent progress and address remaining questions in relation to the transcriptional regulation of tomato fruit development by transcription factors, as well as highlighting the links with the other regulatory components.