Fan ZhengFeng, Zhang Li, Li SiQi, Pang ShengQun, Zhang YiBing, Xu ChuanQiang, Liu YuDong, Qi MingFang
College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
Key Laboratory of Special Sruits and Vegetables Cultivation Physiology and Germplasm Resources Utilization Xinjiang of Production and Construction Crops, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Mar 28;16:1546092. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1546092. eCollection 2025.
AP2/ERF transcription factors regulate plants' growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, the seed germination rate and seedling growth were reduced in the tomato mutant. The fresh weight, drought weight, number of primary lateral roots (LRs), average root diameter, and number of root tips were also decreased in the mutant. The findings suggest that SlERF4-9 plays a significant role in root growth and development. The results of RNA-seq analysis of young roots indicated that the mutation of did not affect the expression of genes related to auxin biosynthesis or signal transduction, but it did reduce the expression of the auxin efflux carrier genes and . Moreover, the mutation of affected the distribution of auxin in the roots of DR5 × WT and DR5 × hybrid tomato seedlings. However, the promoters of and do not possess the GCC-box or DRE elements, suggesting that SlERF4-9 does not directly regulate their transcription. In addition, the expression levels of the two Cycling DOF Factors (CDFs) and decreased in the roots of the mutant. Moreover, the GCC-box was present in the promoters of and . Therefore, exploring the regulatory relationships between , /, and will further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tomato root growth and development.
AP2/ERF转录因子调控植物的生长、发育及胁迫响应。在本研究中，番茄突变体的种子萌发率和幼苗生长受到抑制。该突变体的鲜重、干重、一级侧根数量、平均根直径和根尖数量也均减少。研究结果表明，SlERF4 - 9在根系生长发育中发挥重要作用。幼根的RNA测序分析结果显示，该突变不影响生长素生物合成或信号转导相关基因的表达，但确实降低了生长素外排载体基因和的表达。此外，该突变影响了DR5×WT和DR5×杂交番茄幼苗根系中生长素的分布。然而，和的启动子不具有GCC盒或DRE元件，这表明SlERF4 - 9不直接调控它们的转录。另外，两个循环DOF因子（CDF）和在突变体根系中的表达水平降低。而且，和的启动子中存在GCC盒。因此，探究、/和之间的调控关系将有助于我们进一步了解番茄根系生长发育的分子机制。
