Autoactive MtDMI1 Reprogrammes Immunity and Development in Tomato via Ethylene Signalling.
Liu H, Xu J, Xie F
Plant Signaling
Tomatoes engineered with a tweak to their microbial-partnership genes could grow with stronger built-in disease resistance, potentially cutting the pesticide load on the vegetables you buy.
Plants have a molecular system they use to invite helpful microbes—like fungi and bacteria—into their roots. Scientists took a gene from a clover-like plant that runs this system, made it permanently switched on, and transplanted it into tomato plants. Instead of just changing how the tomato partners with microbes, this always-on gene rewired the tomato's immune defenses and growth patterns by boosting signals from ethylene, the same hormone that ripens fruit.
Key Findings
The gain-of-function MtDMI1 mutant (SPD1) successfully reprogrammed immune responses when expressed in tomato, demonstrating cross-species functional transfer of a symbiosis gene
Effects on immunity and development were mediated through the ethylene signaling pathway, revealing a previously undercharacterized link between symbiosis and hormone networks
The Common Symbiosis Signalling Pathway, typically studied for its role in beneficial microbe recruitment, has untapped potential for engineering crop traits beyond symbiosis itself
chevron_right Technical Summary
A permanently active version of a symbiosis gene from a legume, when introduced into tomato plants, reshapes how tomatoes defend themselves and develop—acting through ethylene, a key plant hormone. This cross-species finding reveals an unexpected link between the plant's microbial partnership machinery and its immune system.
Abstract Preview
The Common Symbiosis Signalling Pathway (CSSP) underpins interactions between plants and microbes, yet its potential for crop improvement remains underexplored. Here, we investigated the gain-of-fu...
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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...