SlBES1 promotes tomato fruit softening through transcriptional inhibition of PMEU1

iScience

Chuanyou Li¹  Chengguo Jia²  Yanhai Yin³  Haoran Liu⁴  Min Zhang⁴  Yuanyuan Liu⁴  Lihong Liu⁴  Zhiyong Shao⁴  Dongyi Liang⁴  Fanliang Meng⁴  Songshen Hu⁴  Mingfang Qi⁵  Qiaomei Wang⁶ 

[1] Corresponding author;College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, PR China;Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA;Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth and Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China;Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, PR China;State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100097, PR China;

关键词: Biological sciences;    Molecular biology;    Plant biology;    Plant development;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Summary: Fruit softening indicated by firmness determines the texture, transportability, and shelf life of tomato products. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying firmness formation in tomato fruit is poorly understood. Here, we report the regulatory role of SlBES1, an essential component of brassinosteroid hormone signaling, in tomato fruit softening. We found that SlBES1 promotes fruit softening during tomato fruit ripening and postharvest storage. RNA-seq analysis suggested that PMEU1, which encodes a pectin methylesterase, might participate in SlBES1-mediated softening. Biochemical and immunofluorescence assays indicated that SlBES1 inhibited PMEU1-related pectin de-methylesterification. Further molecular and genetic evidence verified that SlBES1 directly binds to the E-box of PMEU1 to repress its expression, leading to fruits softening. Loss-of-function SlBES1 mutant generated by CRISPR-Cas9 showed firmer fruits and longer shelf life during postharvest storage without other quality alteration. Collectively, our results indicated the potential of manipulating SlBES1 to regulate firmness without negative consequence on visual and nutrition quality.

【 授权许可】

Unknown