Gene duo helps tomato plants shrug off cold snaps
Ma XJ, Li HL, He YM, Cheng GX
Crop Improvement
If you've ever lost tomato seedlings to a late spring chill, this research points toward future varieties bred to shake off cold snaps that would otherwise stunt or kill them.
Researchers found that tomato plants have a built-in cold defense system run by two genes working together: one called SlMYB58 acts like a switch that turns on another gene, SlPAL3, when temperatures drop. Plants engineered to make extra SlPAL3 handled near-freezing conditions much better, building up more protective compounds and suffering less cell damage, while plants missing the gene wilted badly. This gives plant breeders a concrete genetic target for developing tomatoes that can better withstand cold weather.
Key Findings
Tomato plants overexpressing SlPAL3 showed 2.2-3.1 times higher peroxidase activity, 2.1-2.6 times more proline accumulation, and 1.6-2.0 times more lignin under 4°C cold stress compared to normal plants
Plants lacking SlPAL3 (via CRISPR knockout) wilted severely and showed weaker physiological responses to cold, while overexpressing plants showed reduced buildup of damaging reactive oxygen molecules
The transcription factor SlMYB58 was shown to directly bind and activate the SlPAL3 gene's promoter, revealing the upstream genetic switch controlling this cold-tolerance pathway
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified a gene pair in tomato plants that helps them survive cold snaps by activating natural antifreeze-like defenses. Boosting one gene made plants tolerate 4°C temperatures far better, pointing to a target for breeding cold-hardy tomato varieties.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Cold-induced SlPAL3 confers cold tolerance in tomato through interacting with putative transcription factor SlMYB58.
Cold stress severely restricts tomato growth, yield, and geographical distribution. However, the molecular mechanisms governing phenylpropanoid-mediated cold tolerance remain incompletely understoo...
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