Ripening-related transcription factors during tomato fruit ripening: Crosstalk with ethylene

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has become a model for the study of fleshy fruits. Comprehending the regulatory mechanisms of fleshy fruit ripening is important. Transcription factors (TFs), hormones, and epigenetic regulation mainly regulate tomato fruit ripening, and the initiation of ripening requires ethylene and ripening-related TFs, such as NAC, MADS-box, RIN, GH3, HD-ZIP, and basic helix-loop-helix. In this review, we summarize recent research progress on these TFs in the regulation of tomato fruit ripening and highlight the crosstalk mechanisms of ethylene and ripening-related TFs. By affecting ethylene synthesis and signaling, TFs regulate softening and color changes in tomato fruits, thereby influencing fruit quality. Our review contributes to a systematic understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of tomato fruit ripening and provides a basis for developing or modeling complex ripening regulatory networks.