Identification of MAP65 family genes in tomato and the member SlMAP65-1 is involved in fruit morphogenesis

Abstract

The plant growth process is accompanied by dynamic changes in the microtubules, and the rearrangement of microtubules is regulated by diverse microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Plant MAP65s have been exhaustively characterized in some species, but the information about MAP65 family members in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is limited. In this study, nine SlMAP65 family genes were identified in the tomato genome. Then a systematic analysis including physio-chemical properties, evolution, conserved motifs, domains, gene structure, and cis-regulatory elements of SlMAP65 family members was conducted. The member SlMAP65-1, which had the highest expression, was knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9. The tomato fruit of slmap65-1 loss of function lines showed an elongated morphology, and the data indicated that SlMAP65-1 was involved in fruit morphogenesis at early fruit development stage. These results provided insights for fruit morphogenesis-related research areas and future functional studies of SlMAP65 family members in tomato.