{
  "abstract": "To identify potential strategies for increasing the efficiency of tomato leaf metabolism with a focus on the links between nitrogen/carbon metabolism, we explored a diel flux balance analysis (FBA) model of a source leaf in which the metabolic output was varied up to the theoretically achievable maximum. We noticed a potentially interesting switch in the use of glutamine synthetase (GS) isoforms-from the chloroplast isoform to the mitochondrial one-for nitrogen assimilation. To further explore this prediction, we characterized transgenic tomato plants as overexpressing 2 tomato GS genes, GS1 and GS2, targeted to mitochondria. Both sets of transgenic plants were characterized as displaying faster growth rate, early flowering, and increased fruit yield. In leaves, metabolomic profiling and enzyme activity analysis pointed out that GS activity in mitochondria plays a role in increasing the intracellular synthesis and subsequent export of sugar. Consistent with these changes, higher sucrose concentration in leaf exudates and reduced activities of enzymes involved in leaf starch synthesis were observed. Moreover, mitochondrial GS activity affected chloroplast redox status in a manner that modulated photorespiration and nitrogen metabolism. The combined data reveal the influence of mitochondrial GS activity on both foliar carbon/nitrogen balance and regulation of source-sink metabolism in tomato plants.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, IHSM-UMA-CSIC Campus Teatinos , Málaga ,",
    "Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology , Potsdam-Golm ,",
    "College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing ,",
    "State Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing ,",
    "Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford , Oxford ,",
    "School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram , Maruthamala P.O., Kerala ,",
    "Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology , Plovdiv ,"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "José Gabriel Vallarino",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0374-8706"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Laíse Rosado-Souza",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6000-771X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Youjun Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1052-0256"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "R. George Ratcliffe",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8394-1575"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Lee James Sweetlove",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2461-4133"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Sanu Shameer",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0227-4422"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alisdair Robert Fernie",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9000-335X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0dzvb99h63g1g.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.1093/plcell/koag181",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0dzvb99h63g1g",
  "issns": [
    "1040-4651",
    "1532-298X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koag181",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7164764972",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13439946",
  "pmid": "42287733",
  "published": "2026-06-13",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0dzvb99h63g1g.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:09Z",
      "native_id": "W7164764972",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koag181"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Mitochondrial glutamine synthetase overexpression in tomato source leaves increases assimilate export and fruit yield",
  "title_text": "Mitochondrial glutamine synthetase overexpression in tomato source leaves increases assimilate export and fruit yield",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:45Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0dzvb99h63g1g",
  "venue": "The Plant Cell",
  "versions": []
}