Jim Giovannoni

Professor, USDA Scientist
Jim Giovannoni
jjg33@cornell.edu
Office/Lab: 429/426
Phone: 607-254-1414
Office/Lab: 301
Email: jjg33@cornell.edu
Office Phone: 607-254-1414
Lab Phone: 607-255-1259
Affiliations: Adjunct Professor, Section of Plant Biology / School of Integrative Plant Science / Cornell University
Graduate Fields: Horticulture; Plant Breeding; Plant Biology
Research Overview

USDA affiliation: Plant Molecular Biologist, USDA-ARS Robert W. Holley Center james.giovannoni@ars.usda.gov

The focus of research in the Giovannoni laboratory is molecular and genetic analysis of fruit ripening and related signal transduction systems with emphasis on the relationship of fruit ripening to nutritional quality. We are also involved in development of tools for genomics of the Solanaceae including participation in the International Tomato Sequencing Project. We employ several experimental systems but the majority of our work involves the use of tomato. The broad objectives of the lab include deciphering the underlying molecular basis of components of ripening regulation conserved through evolution and how these regulatory networks coordinate ripening events including those related to quality and nutritional content.

Experimental approaches include: 1) positional cloning of loci known via mutation to harbor genes necessary for normal fruit development and ripening, and 2) isolation of candidate ripening regulatory genes based on expression pattern or relationship to ripening-related signal transduction systems (e.g. ethylene, light), and functional analysis in transgenic plants.

Intern Projects
Ripening is a process by which the texture, color, flavor, and nutritional content of fruit is enhanced. These traits contribute to the healthfulness and desirability of the fruit as a food source. Clearly, understanding the processes behind fruit ripening are important in terms of nutrition, but also for commercial applications such as transportation and shelf-life. Thus, the focus of research in the Giovannoni lab is molecular and genetic analysis of fruit ripening and related signal transduction systems, using tomato as the model system. Recently, researchers in the lab isolated two genes, RIN and NOR, that are part of the master switch to induce ripening in tomatoes. In addition to identifying important regulatory components of ripening, the lab also investigates lycopene production. Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes their red coloring and which is also suggested to inhibit degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Using a genomics approach, the lab is investigating the regulatory mechanisms behind accumulation of this important compound in different tomato varieties.

For more information about the Giovannoni lab, please visit the Plant Biology website. Additionally, the Giovannoni lab, in conjunction with other labs on campus has developed a resource for tomato genomics, the Tomato EST Database. Additional resources and information resulting from tomato genomics activities on the Cornell campus can be found at the Solanaceae Genomics Network site.

Internship Program | Projects & FacultyApply for an Internship
Deregulation of ζ-carotene desaturase in Arabidopsis and tomato exposes a unique carotenoid-derived redundant regulation of floral meristem identity and function.
2023.
McQuinn, R.P., Leroux, J., Sierra, J., Escobar-Tovar, L., Frusciante, S., Finnegan, E.J., Diretto, G., Giuliano, G., Giovannoni, James J., León, P., Pogson, B.J.
The Plant Journal.
:
Natural overexpression of CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 4 in tomato alters carotenoid flux
2023.
Yoo, H.J., Chung, M.Y., Lee, H.A., Lee, S.B., Grandillo, S., Giovannoni, James J., Lee, J.M.
Plant Physiol..
:
The transcription factor VviNAC60 regulates senescence- and ripening-related processes in grapevine
2023.
D'Incà, E., Foresti, C., Orduña, L., Amato, A., Vandelle, E., Santiago, A., Botton, A., Cazzaniga, S., Bertini, E., Pezzotti, M., Giovannoni, James J., Vrebalov, J., Matus, J.T., Tornielli, G.B., Zenoni, S.
Plant Physiol..
:
Abscisic acid mediated strawberry receptacle ripening involves the interplay of multiple phytohormone signaling networks
2023.
Li, B.J., Shi, Y.N., Jia, H.R., Yang, X.F., Sun, Y.F., Lu, J., Giovannoni, JamesJ., Jiang, G.H., Rose, J.K.C., Chen, K.S.
Front Plant Sci..
14
:
A family of methyl esterases converts methyl salicylate to salicylic acid in ripening tomato fruit.
2023.
Frick, E.M., Sapkota, M., Pereira Garcia, L., Wang, Y., Hermanns, A., Giovannoni, James J., van der Knaap, E., Tieman, D.M., Klee, H.J.
Plant Physiol..
191
:
110–124
Limited conservation in cross-species comparison of GLK transcription factor binding suggested wide-spread cistrome divergence.
2022.
Tu, X., Ren, S., Shen, W., Li, J., Li, Y., Li, C., Li, Y., Zong, Z., Xie, W., Grierson, D., Fei, Zhangjun, Giovannoni, James J., Li, P., Zhong, S.
Nat Commun..
13
:
7632
Laser capture of tomato pericarp tissues for microscale carotenoid analysis by supercritical fluid chromatography.
2022.
Ramsey, J.S., Fish, T.L., Thannhauser, T.W., Giovannoni, James J.
Methods Enzymol..
670
:
213–233
Selection pressure on the rhizosphere microbiome can alter nitrogen use efficiency and seed yield in Brassica rapa
2022.
Garcia, J., Gannett, M., Wei, L., Cheng, L., Hu, S., Sparks, J., Giovannoni, James J., Kao-Kniffin, J.
Commun Biol..
5
:
959
Spatiotemporal dynamics of the tomato fruit transcriptome under prolonged water stress.
2022.
Nicolas, P., Shinozaki, Y., Powell, A., Philippe, G., Snyder, S.I., Bao, K., Zheng, Y., Xu, Y., Courtney, L., Vrebalov, J., Casteel, C.L., Mueller, Lukas A., Fei, Zhangjun, Giovannoni, James J., Rose, J.K.C., Catalá, Carmen
Plant Physiol..
:
A comparative transcriptomics and eQTL approach identifies SlWD40 as a tomato fruit ripening regulator.
2022.
Zhu, F., Jadhav, S.S., Tohge, T., Salem, M.A., Li, J.M., Giovannoni, James J., Cheng, Y., Alseekh, S., Fernie, A.R.
Plant Physiol..
190
:
250–266
A Solanum lycopersicoides reference genome facilitates insights into tomato specialized metabolism and immunity.
2022.
Powell, A.F., Feder, A., Li, J., Schmidt, M.H., Courtney, L., Alseekh, S., Jobson, E.M., Vogel, A., Xu, Y., Lyon, D., Dumschott, K., McHale, M., Sulpice, R., Bao, K., Lal, R., Duhan, A., Hallab, A., Denton, A.K., Bolger, M.E., Fernie, A.R., Hind, S.R., Mueller, Lukas A., Martin, Gregory B., Fei, Zhangjun, Martin, C., Giovannoni, James J., Strickler, S.R., Usadel, B.
Plant J..
110
:
1791–1810
SlERF. F12 modulates the transition to ripening in tomato fruit by recruiting the co-repressor Topless and histone deacetylases to repress key ripening genes
2022.
Deng, H., Chen, Y., Liu, Z., Liu, Z., Shu, P., Wang, R., Hao, Y., Su, D., Pirrello, J., Liu, Y., Li, Z., Grierson, D., Giovannoni, James, J., Bouzayen, M., Liu, M.
The Plant Cell.
:
Phytohormones in fruit development and maturation
2021.
Fenn, M.A., Giovannoni, James J.
Plant J..
105
:
446–458
Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic architecture of 27 agronomic traits in tomato
2021.
Ye, J., Wang, X., Wang, W., Yu, H., Ai, G., Li, C., Sun, P., Wang, X., Li, H., Ouyang, B., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Han, H., Giovannoni, James, Fei, Zhangjun, Ye, Z.
Plant Physiology.
186
:
2078–2092
A tomato LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES transcription factor, SlLOB1, predominantly regulates cell wall and softening components of ripening.
2021.
Shi, Y., Vrebalov, J., Zheng, H., Xu, Y., Yin, X., Liu, W., Liu, Z., Sorensen, I., Su, G., Ma, Q., Evanich, D., Rose, J.K.C., Fei, Zhangjun, Van Eck, Joyce, Thannhauser, T., Chen, K., Giovannoni, James J.
Proc Natl Acad Sci.
118
:
Apple Ripening Is Controlled by a NAC Transcription Factor.
2021.
Migicovsky, Z., Yeats, T.H., Watts, S., Song, J., Forney, C.F., Burgher-MacLellan, K., Somers, D.J., Gong, Y., Zhang, Z., Vrebalov, J., van Velzen, R., Giovannoni, James G., Rose, J.K.C., Myles, S.
Front Genet..
12
:
The NAC transcription factor FaRIF controls fruit ripening in strawberry
2021.
Martín-Pizarro, C., Vallarino, J.G., Osorio, S., Meco, V., Urrutia, M., Pillet, J., Casañal, A., Merchante, C., Amaya, I., Willmitzer, L., Fernie, A.R., Giovannoni, James J., Botella, M.A., Valpuesta, V., Posé, D.
Plant Cell.
:
Tomato fruit as a model for tissue-specific gene silencing in crop plants
2020.
Feder, A., Jensen, S., Wang, A., Courtney, L., Middleton, L., Van Eck, Joyce, Liu, Y., Giovannoni, James J.
Horticulture Research.
7
:
142
Genome of Solanum pimpinellifolium provides insights into structural variants during tomato breeding
2020.
Wang, X., Gao, L., Jiao, C., Stravoravdis, S., Hosmani, P.S., Saha, S., Zhang, J., Mainiero, S., Strickler, Susan, R., Catala, Carmen, Martin, Gregory, B., Mueller, Lukas A., Vrebalov, J., Giovannoni, James J., Wu, S., Fei, Zhangjun
Nat Commun.
11
:
5817
GWAS Based on RNA-Seq SNPs and High-Throughput Phenotyping Combined with Climatic Data Highlights the Reservoir of Valuable Genetic Diversity in Regional Tomato Landraces
2020.
Rodriguez, M., Scintu, A., Posadinu, C.M., Xu, Y., Nguyen, C.V., Sun, H., Bitocchi, E., Bellucci, E., Papa, R., Fei, Zhangjun, Giovannoni, James, J., Rau, D., Attene, G.
Genes (Basel).
11
:
Ripening inhibition in the tomato Green-ripe mutant results from ectopic expression of a novel protein which disrupts ethylene signal transduction
Jim Giovannoni
US Patent: 7,947,867
Rin gene compositions and methods for use thereof
Jim Giovannoni
US Patent: 6,787,687
NOR gene for use in manipulation of fruit quality and ethylene response
Jim Giovannoni
US Patent: 6,762,347
Endo-1,4-.beta.-glucanase genes and their use in plants
Jim Giovannoni
US Patent: 5,585,545

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