MIKCC-TYPE MADS-BOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN TOMATO REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW OF THEIR ROLE IN MERISTEMS, FLOWER, FRUIT, AND FLOWER ABSCISSION ZONE DEVELOPMENT

MADS-box transcription factors (TFs) play key roles in cellular and developmental processes in organisms ranging from yeast to humans and can be divided into type I and type II. Type II MADS-box TFs are further classed into two subgroups MIKCC and MIKC*. In plants, MIKCC-type TFs are well known for their role in the ABCDE model for floral organ identity specification in the model plant Arabidopsis and other flowering plant species. However, with the exception of Arabidopsis, very little is known about the function of these TFs in developmental processes in other flowering plant species. MIKCC-type TFs have been reported as crucial regulators of flower organ identity, inflorescence architecture, flower abscission zone development and fruit maturation in the model plant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here, we discuss current knowledge of MIKCC-type TFs in tomato and provide detailed overview of their roles in reproductive developmental processes based on the available functional genetic, transcriptomic, protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction data.