Fig. 2. Tomato fruit phenotypes of SlMBP3 and SlAGL11 loss-of-function and overexpression lines.

a Cross-sections of tomato fruits of SlMBP3 and SlAGL11 knock-out and overexpressing lines throughout fruit development. SlMBP3-KO, SlAGL11-KO and dual SlMBP3/SlAGL11-KO lines were obtained by CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutation as described in Supplementary Fig. 4. Overexpression was achieved by introducing a SlMBP3 and SlAGL11 driven by the 35S-CaMV promoter. Scale bar = 1 cm. b Histological observations of fruit with altered SlMBP3 and SlAGL11 expression. Fruit sections at 30-DPA fruits and 10-DPA fruits were stained with toluidine blue. DPA refers to days post-anthesis. Yellow arrows point to the locular tissue. Black bar = 5 mm and white bar = 1 mm. c Assessing firmness of tomato fruit in SlMBP3 and SlAGL11 mutant lines. Fruit firmness was monitored at different stages of fruit development and ripening. Values are means ± SD of ten fruits per stage for each individual line, and significance was determined by two-tailed Student’s t-test. MG, mature green; BR, breaker. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.