CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated SlNPR1 mutagenesis reduces tomato plant drought tolerance

Abstract

BackgroundNPR1, nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1, is a master regulator involved in plant defense response to pathogens, and its regulatory mechanism in the defense pathway has been relatively clear. However, information about the function of NPR1 in plant response to abiotic stress is still limited. Tomato is the fourth most economically crop worldwide and also one of the best-characterized model plants employed in genetic studies. Because of the lack of a stable tomato NPR1 (SlNPR1) mutant, little is known about the function of SlNPR1 in tomato response to biotic and abiotic stresses.ResultsHere we isolated SlNPR1 from tomato ‘Ailsa Craig’ and generated slnpr1 mutants using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Analysis of the cis-acting elements indicated that SlNPR1 might be involved in tomato plant response to drought stress. Expression pattern analysis showed that SlNPR1 was expressed in all plant tissues, and it was strongly induced by drought stress. Thus, we investigated the function of SlNPR1 in tomato-plant drought tolerance. Results showed that slnpr1 mutants exhibited reduced drought tolerance with increased stomatal aperture, higher electrolytic leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels, and lower activity levels of antioxidant enzymes, compared to wild type (WT) plants. The reduced drought tolerance of slnpr1 mutants was further reflected by the down-regulated expression of drought related key genes, including SlGST, SlDHN, and SlDREB.ConclusionsCollectively, the data suggest that SlNPR1 is involved in regulating tomato plant drought response. These results aid in further understanding the molecular basis underlying SlNPR1 mediation of tomato drought sensitivity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-018-1627-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of Nano-SiOx/Chitosan Complex Coating on the Physicochemical Characteristics and Preservation Performance of Green Tomato

“…Many other studies reported that physical treatment like hyperbaric or low doses of UV irradiation promoted the accumulation of phenolic compounds in tomatoes [35][36][37]; however, in the present study, NSCC coating treatment did not show any additional abiotic stresses on tomatoes. It was also reported that the production of ROS induced lipid peroxidation that resulted in membrane injury and increase the MDA level [38,39]. MDA is an index to test lipid peroxidation and could be considered to represent the level of oxidative stress.…”

Color-related chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations of Chinese kale can be altered through CRISPR/Cas9 targeted editing of the carotenoid isomerase gene BoaCRTISO

“…For instance, citrus resistance to canker was significantly improved by editing CsLOB1 with the CRISPR/Cas9 system 15 . Targeted editing of SlNPR1 was performed to alter the drought resistance of tomato 16 . Moreover, the heading stage of rice was accelerated, and the yield of oilseed rape was increased by editing Hds 17 and ALC 18 , respectively.…”

Overexpression of OsC3H10, a CCCH-Zinc Finger, Improves Drought Tolerance in Rice by Regulating Stress-Related Genes

“…In addition to the upregulation of LEA genes, the expression of eleven PR genes was upregulated in OsC3H10 OX plants. PR genes are the main components of plant defense mechanisms against biotic stresses, but their functions in abiotic stress have also been reported in plants [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Specifically, the overexpression of Arabidopsis PR1 , PR2 and PR5 in Arabidopsis enhances drought tolerance [ 37 ].…”

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