High mobility group A3 enhances transcription of the DNA demethylase gene SlDML2 to promote tomato fruit ripening

Abstract DNA methylation plays an important role in regulating tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening. Although SlDML2, a DNA demethylase (DML) gene, is critically involved in tomato fruit ripening, little is known about genes that regulate its expression. Using yeast one-hybrid screening, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant Physiology
Main Authors: Li, Zhifei, Pi, Ying, Fan, Junmiao, Yang, Xinxin, Zhai, Changsheng, Chen, Hong, Wang, Feng, Ding, Jing, Gu, Tingting, Li, Yi, Wu, Han
Other Authors: National Key Research and Development Program of China, Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Fund, Jiangsu Seed Industry Revitalization Project, Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2022
Subjects:
Breaker
DML
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac063
https://academic.oup.com/plphys/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/plphys/kiac063/42599327/kiac063.pdf
https://academic.oup.com/plphys/article-pdf/189/1/315/43522326/kiac063.pdf
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Summary:Abstract DNA methylation plays an important role in regulating tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening. Although SlDML2, a DNA demethylase (DML) gene, is critically involved in tomato fruit ripening, little is known about genes that regulate its expression. Using yeast one-hybrid screening, we identified a High Mobility Group A protein, named SlHMGA3, and demonstrated its binding activity to the AT-rich region of the SlDML2 promoter. We produced slhmga3 tomato mutants using CRISPR/Cas9 and observed that slhmga3 fruit reached the breaker stage much later than fruit from the wild-type. We further demonstrated that at the initiation stage of fruit ripening, the increased expression of SlDML2 and ethylene biosynthetic and signaling genes was significantly delayed in slhmga3 fruit, along with delays in ethylene production and demethylation and activation of ripening-associated transcription factor genes. Our results demonstrate that SlHMGA3 plays a role in enhancing SlDML2 expression, and its effects on tomato fruit ripening are largely through DNA demethylation of ripening-associated transcription factor genes.

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