NtMBD1 regulates shoot branching regulation and evolutionary differentiation in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.).
Wu Q, Wang L, Ma R, Chen H, Chen M
Crispr
Tobacco farmers lose yield to unruly side shoots they must manually remove, and the same branching logic governs tomatoes, peppers, and other crops you might grow at home — understanding this gene could lead to varieties that need less pruning and produce more.
Plants decide how bushy or upright to grow based on signals that tell side buds to stay dormant or sprout. Researchers found a specific gene in tobacco that acts like a 'stay dormant' signal — when it's switched off, the plant goes wild with side branches. They confirmed this works the same way in a distantly related plant (similar to petunias) and even partially in a mustard plant used in lab research, showing this is a fundamental, widely shared plant mechanism.
Key Findings
A single nonsense mutation disabling NtMBD1 (a P450 enzyme gene) causes excessive basal branching and altered plant architecture in tobacco.
CRISPR-based knockout of NtMBD1 in both tobacco and Nicotiana benthamiana reproduced the branching defect, and complementation of an Arabidopsis branching mutant (max1) confirmed conserved function across plant families.
Phylogenetic analysis showed NtMBD1 in cultivated tobacco was inherited from its ancestor N. sylvestris, while the equivalent gene from the other parent species (N. tomentosiformis) appears to have been lost during evolution.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified a gene called NtMBD1 in tobacco that controls how many side branches a plant grows. When this gene is broken, plants sprout excessive branches from the base — and the same effect was confirmed using CRISPR gene editing, pointing to a promising target for breeding more productive, compact crops.
Abstract Preview
Branching regulation and biomass accumulation are key determinants of tobacco productivity and bioenergy potential, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying branching control in tobacco remain poorl...
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Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus Nicotiana of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. Seventy-nine species of tobacco are known, but the chief commercial crop is N. tabacum. The more potent variant N. rus...