Conserved and novel roles of the bHLH transcription factor SPATULA in tomato.

Arabidopsis has served as a model plant for studying the genetic networks that guide gynoecium development. However, less is known about other species such as tomato, a model for fleshy fruit development and ripening. Here, we study in tomato the transcription factor SPATULA (SPT), a bHLH-family member that in Arabidopsis is known to be important for gynoecium development.