Expression of Arabidiopsis CAX4 in tomato fruits increases calcium level with no accumulation of other metallic cations

We generated transgenic tomato plants with Arabidopsis thaliana $H^+$/cation exchanger gene (C4X4) by Agrobactrium-mediated transformation. We confirmed transgene copy number and transcription by Southern and Northern blot analyses. The intact CAX4-expressing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruits contained 63-71% more calcium ($Ca^{2+}$) than wild-type fruits. Moreover, ectopic expression of C4X4 in tomato fruits did not show any significant increase of the four kinds of metallic cations analyzed ($Mg^{2+}$, $Fe^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, and $Cu^{2+})$. The C4X4-expressing tomato plants including their fruits did not show any morphological alternations during whole growth period. These results suggest the enhanced Ca-substrate specificity of CAX4 exchanger in tomato. Therefore, intact CAX4 exchanger can be a useful tool for $Ca^{2+}$ nutrient enrichment of tomato fruits with reduced accumulation of undesirable cations.