Silencing of the MADS-Box Gene SlMADS83 Enhances Adventitious Root Formation in Tomato Plants

Abstract

Adventitious roots (ARs) are important for the growth of plants and the improvement in their stress resistance and survival capacity. Although many genes have been confirmed to be involved in adventitious root (AR) formation in Arabidopsis and tomato plants, MADS-box genes have rarely been mentioned. Here, we isolated a MADS-box gene named SlMADS83, which may negatively regulate AR formation in tomato plants, as the number of the ARs formed in the transgenic lines in which the SlMADS83 gene was silenced by RNA interference (RNAi) was increased. The above phenotype was further confirmed by the analysis of the macroscopic, anatomical, and molecular features and related statistical data. Previous Studies have proven that auxin can stimulate early AR primordium initiation. Interestingly, in the RNAi transgenic lines, the concentration of auxin in the hypocotyl base was increased, resulting in early induction of AR primordia initiation, promoting the formation of ARs. Briefly, SlMADS83 may play an important role in AR formation.