Improved-profile tomatoes
Increasing the content of flavonoids in plant species like the tomato was the objective of the EC-funded PROFOOD project. The project consortium included experts in the field of plant physiology, biochemistry and genetics in order to develop new methodologies that could indeed result in successful transgenic tomato lines. An important aspect of the evaluation of these new transgenic plants is the assessment of the possible affects of the altered genetic code on the function of the plant as a whole. This assessment was carried out on multiple levels, including biochemical and genetic. Details on the changes in the levels of transcripts and metabolites were obtained and stored in a new purpose-built database. The online tool was accompanied by visualisation software, termed 'Mapman', which allows transcript and metabolite profiling. The 'Mapman' data visualisation tool is a public domain software application. The scientific team behind aims to form collaborative agreements with plant gene experts to develop it further.
