Role of the tomato MARS1/ROUGH gene encoding a LYSINE-SPECIFIC HISTONE DEMETHYLASE 1 in adventitious root and fruit skin formation.
Larriba E, Bres C, Alaguero-Cordovilla A, Riyazuddin R, Wang Q
Epigenetics
Tomato breeders working to create cuttings that root faster — or backyard gardeners frustrated by finicky tomato propagation — may one day benefit from tweaking this single gene to give plants a stronger will to regenerate.
Inside every tomato plant, a molecular 'off switch' keeps certain growth programs dormant in the wrong tissues. Researchers found that when they disable this switch, tomato stems sprout far more roots after being cut, and the fruits develop a rough, bumpy skin from rogue cell growth on the surface. The discovery shows that a chemical tag on DNA packaging proteins — not the DNA sequence itself — controls whether a plant can regenerate, opening doors to breeding more vigorous, easy-to-propagate crops.
Key Findings
A histone demethylase gene (MARS1/SlLDL1) suppresses adventitious root formation; mutant tomato hypocotyls regenerate significantly more roots after wounding than wild-type plants.
Loss of MARS1 causes ectopic subepidermal cell proliferation on fruit surfaces, creating callus-like bumps and a visibly rough cuticle — a direct, observable phenotypic consequence of altered epigenetic silencing.
ChIP-seq and directional RNA-seq identified dozens of genomic regions, including a novel B-type cyclin gene, that become abnormally active in mutants due to elevated H3K4 methylation marks, linking a specific epigenetic signature to tissue-specific reprogramming.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that a gene called MARS1/ROUGH acts as an epigenetic 'silencer' in tomato, suppressing unwanted cell growth. When this gene is broken, tomatoes grow extra roots more readily and develop bumpy, callus-covered skin — revealing a key molecular switch controlling plant regeneration.
Abstract Preview
In contrast to animals, plants possess a remarkable regenerative capacity and are capable of forming new organs or even entire organisms from a limited number of cells present in adult tissues, in ...
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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...