A truncated B-box zinc finger transcription factor confers drought sensitivity in modern cultivated tomatoes

Jinhua Li (), Guo Ai, Yaling Wang, Yin Ding, Xiaomeng Hu, Yan Liang, Qingxia Yan, Ke Wu, Rong Huang, Chunrui Chen, Bo Ouyang, Xingguo Zhang, Yu Pan, Lang Wu, Zonglie Hong and Junhong Zhang ()
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Jinhua Li: Southwest University
Guo Ai: Huazhong Agricultural University
Yaling Wang: Southwest University
Yin Ding: Southwest University
Xiaomeng Hu: Southwest University
Yan Liang: Southwest University
Qingxia Yan: Southwest University
Ke Wu: Southwest University
Rong Huang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Chunrui Chen: Southwest University
Bo Ouyang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Xingguo Zhang: Southwest University
Yu Pan: Southwest University
Lang Wu: Southwest University
Zonglie Hong: University of Idaho
Junhong Zhang: Huazhong Agricultural University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Abstract Enhancing drought tolerance in crops and understanding the underlying mechanisms have been subject of intense research. The precise function and molecular mechanisms of B-box zinc finger proteins (BBX) remain elusive. Here, we report a natural allele of BBX18 (BBX18TT) that encodes a C-terminal truncated protein. While most wild tomato germplasms contain the BBX18CC allele and show more drought tolerant, modern cultivated tomatoes mostly carry BBX18TT allele and are more drought sensitive. Knockout of BBX18 leads to improved drought tolerance in transgenic plants of cultivated tomato. Ascorbate peroxidase 1 (APX1) is identified as a BBX18-interacting protein that acts as a positive regulator of drought resistance in tomato. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analyses reveal that BBX18 binds to a unique cis-acting element of the APX1 promoter and represses its gene expression. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanism underlying drought resistance mediated by the BBX18-APX1 module in plants.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51699-7

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