Abstract
Main conclusion
Six methyltransferase genes affecting tomato fruit ripening were identified through genome-wide screening, VIGS assay, and expression pattern analysis. The data provide the basis for understanding new mechanisms of methyltransferases.
Abstract
Fruit ripening is a critical stage for the formation of edible quality and seed maturation, which is finely modulated by kinds of factors, including genetic regulators, hormones, external signals, etc. Methyltransferases (MTases), important genetic regulators, play vital roles in plant development through epigenetic regulation, post-translational modification, or other mechanisms. However, the regulatory functions of numerous MTases except DNA methylation in fruit ripening remain limited so far. Here, six MTases, which act on different types of substrates, were identified to affect tomato fruit ripening. First, 35 MTase genes with relatively high expression at breaker (Br) stage of tomato fruit were screened from the tomato MTase gene database encompassing 421 genes totally. Thereafter, six MTase genes were identified as potential regulators of fruit ripening via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), including four genes with a positive regulatory role and two genes with a negative regulatory role, respectively. The expression of these six MTase genes exhibited diverse patterns during the fruit ripening process, and responded to various external ripening-related factors, including ethylene, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), temperature, and light exposure. These results help to further elaborate the biological mechanisms of MTase genes in tomato fruit ripening and enrich the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of fruit ripening involving MTases, despite of DNA MTases.
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Abbreviations
- DPA:
-
Days post-anthesis
- MTase:
-
Methyltransferase
- Br:
-
Breaker
- VIGS:
-
Virus-induced gene silencing
- TRV:
-
Tobacco rattle virus
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This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32272373, 31871847) and the National Key R&D Program during the 14th Five-year Plan Period (2022YFD2100103).
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JXX and BZZ conceived and designed research. JXX, YL, and PWW conducted experiments. ZB, BWL, and YFZ analyzed data. JXX and BZZ wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Xiong, J., Liu, Y., Wu, P. et al. Identification and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) analysis of methyltransferase affecting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening. Planta 259, 109 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-024-04384-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-024-04384-4