Functional Characterization of Tomato Phytochrome A and B1B2 Mutants in Response to Heat Stress.

Islam M Y Abdellatif,Kenji Miura,Hiroshi Ezura,Haruyasu Hamada,Shizue Yoshihara,Shaoze Yuan,Takuya Suzaki,Renhu Na

doi:10.3390/ijms23031681

Islam M Y Abdellatif, Kenji Miura + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031681

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Abstract

Heat stress (HS) is a prevalent negative factor affecting plant growth and development, as it is predominant worldwide and threatens agriculture on a large scale. PHYTOCHROMES (PHYs) are photoreceptors that control plant growth and development, and the stress signaling response partially interferes with their activity. PHYA, B1, and B2 are the most well-known PHY types in tomatoes. Our study aimed to identify the role of tomato ‘Money Maker’ phyA and phyB1B2 mutants in stable and fluctuating high temperatures at different growth stages. In the seed germination and vegetative growth stages, the phy mutants were HS tolerant, while during the flowering stage the phy mutants revealed two opposing roles depending on the HS exposure period. The response of the phy mutants to HS during the fruiting stage showed similarity to WT. The most obvious stage that demonstrated phy mutants’ tolerance was the vegetative growth stage, in which a high degree of membrane stability and enhanced water preservation were achieved by the regulation of stomatal closure. In addition, both mutants upregulated the expression of heat-responsive genes related to heat tolerance. In addition to lower malondialdehyde accumulation, the phyA mutant enhanced proline levels. These results clarified the response of tomato phyA and phyB1B2 mutants to HS.

Highlights

Abiotic stress caused by environmental changes negatively affects plant growth and development [1]
We screened the response of phyA and phyB1B2 tolerance to hightemperature stress compared to the ‘Money Maker’ WT under different growth stages from seed germination to fruiting stage, and we observed the response of these mutants to heat stress (HS) during seed germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting stages
Our findings demonstrated that tomato phyA and phyB1B2 exhibited tolerance to HS during seed germination and the vegetative growth phase and for a short time of HS during the flowering stage

Summary

Introduction

Abiotic stress caused by environmental changes negatively affects plant growth and development [1]. Global warming has greatly impacted agriculture [2], and in many areas of the world, heat stress (HS) is one of the most crucial threats to plant growth and development, as it leads to a severe reduction in economic yield by causing morphoanatomical, physiological, and biochemical changes in plants [3]. From 2050 to 2100, HS will likely negatively affect tomato growth and productivity in the open field and decrease the optimal areas for cultivation [4]. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an economically important crop worldwide that is sensitive to a series of abiotic stresses, extreme temperatures [5]. The optimum temperature for tomato growth, fruit set, and yield ranges between 21 and 29.5 ◦C during the day and between 18.5 and 21 ◦C during the night [6]

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