Disrupting Sc-uORFs of a transcription factor bZIP1 using CRISPR/Cas9 enhances sugar and amino acid contents in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Induced mutations in the SC-uORF of the tomato transcription factor gene SlbZIP1 by the CRISPR/Cas9 system led to the high accumulation of sugar and amino acid contents in tomato fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most popular and consumed vegetable crops in the world. Among important traits for tomato improvement such as yield, biotic and abiotic resistances, appearance, post-harvest shelf life and fruit quality, the last one seems to face more challenges because of its genetic and biochemical complexities. In this study, a dual-gRNAs CRISPR/Cas9 system was developed to induce targeted mutations in uORF regions of the SlbZIP1, a gene involved in the sucrose-induced repression of translation (SIRT) mechanism. Different induced mutations in the SlbZIP1-uORF region were identified at the T0 generation, stably transferred to the offspring, and no mutation was found at potential off-target sites. The induced mutations in the SlbZIP1-uORF region affected the transcription of SlbZIP1 and related genes in sugar and amino acid biosynthesis. Fruit component analysis showed significant increases in soluble solid, sugar and total amino acid contents in all SlbZIP1-uORF mutant lines. The accumulation of sour-tasting amino acids, including aspartic and glutamic acids, raised from 77 to 144%, while the accumulation of sweet-tasting amino acids such as alanine, glycine, proline, serine, and threonine increased from 14 to 107% in the mutant plants. Importantly, the potential SlbZIP1-uORF mutant lines with desirable fruit traits and no impaired effect on plant phenotype, growth and development were identified under the growth chamber condition. Our result indicates the potential utility of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for fruit quality improvement in tomato and other important crops.