The SlWRKY75-SlASDAC Module Regulates Melatonin Levels to Modulate Leaf Physiological Traits and Seedling Salt Tolerance in Tomato.
Zhang S, Zhang W, Zhou Y, Li M, Huang L
Crispr
Tomatoes grown with this melatonin-boosting gene edit produce more carotenoids (the pigments behind lycopene) and handle salty or drought-stressed soils far better, meaning your garden tomatoes could eventually be both more nutritious and more resilient to poor growing conditions.
Melatonin isn't just a human sleep aid — tomato plants make it too, and it helps them cope with stress and develop more vibrant leaves and fruit. Researchers found a pair of molecular controls: one protein (WRKY75) keeps melatonin levels up by blocking the enzyme that breaks it down (ASDAC). When scientists used CRISPR gene editing to permanently disable ASDAC, tomato plants held onto more melatonin, grew lusher leaves, produced fruit with more beneficial pigments, and survived salty soil conditions much better than normal plants.
Key Findings
CRISPR knockout of SlASDAC caused substantial melatonin accumulation, enhancing leaf pigmentation, trichome density, and carotenoid accumulation in tomato fruit.
SlASDAC knockout seedlings showed significantly improved salt tolerance during germination and early growth, while SlASDAC overexpression compromised salt tolerance — an effect fully rescued by applying external melatonin.
The transcription factor SlWRKY75 directly binds W-box elements in the SlASDAC promoter to repress its expression, establishing a SlWRKY75→SlASDAC regulatory axis that governs melatonin catabolism.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered a two-gene switch in tomatoes that controls how much melatonin the plant retains. Keeping melatonin levels high — by editing out the enzyme that breaks it down — made tomato seedlings more salt-tolerant and produced fruit richer in beneficial pigments like carotenoids.
Abstract Preview
Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule that plays an important role in regulating plant growth, development and abiotic stress responses. Although melatonin biosynthesis has been extensively character...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
The tomato is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. Th...