BAG9 Confers Thermotolerance by Regulating Cellular Redox Homeostasis and the Stability of Heat Shock Proteins in .

The Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family, a group of co-chaperones that share conservative domains in flora and fauna, is involved in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. However, the function of tomato genes on thermotolerance remains largely unknown. Herein, we found that the expression of was induced during heat stress in tomato plants. Knockout of the gene by CRISPR/Cas9 reduced, while its overexpression increased thermotolerance in tomato plants as reflected by the phenotype, photosynthesis rate, and membrane peroxidation. Heat-induced reactive oxygen species and oxidative/oxidized proteins were further increased in mutants and were normalized in overexpressing plants. Furthermore, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, ascorbic acid (AsA)/dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), and reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were reduced in mutants and were increased in overexpressing plants under heat stress. Additionally, BAG9 interacted with Hsp20 proteins in vitro and in vivo. Accumulation of Hsp proteins induced by heat showed a reduction in mutants; meanwhile, it was increased in overexpressing plants. Thus, BAG9 played a crucial role in response to heat stress by regulating cellular redox homeostasis and the stability of heat shock proteins.