de Oliveira Perla Novais, de Souza Leonardo Perez, Ferreira Pedro Boscariol, Mauxion Jean Phillippe, da Silva Luis Felipe Correa, Chang Ana Isabela, Saleme Marina de Lyra Soriano, Zhu Feng, García Sara Selma, De Beukelaer Herman, Martins Marina C M, Rosado-Souza Laise, Pino Lilian Ellen, Bollier Norbert, Peres Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira, Vandepoele Klaas, Goossens Alain, Gonzalez Nathalie, Fernie Alisdair R, Eloy Nubia Barbosa
Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura 'Luiz de Queiroz' (ESALQ), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, Brazil.
Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Plant Biotechnol J. 2025 Sep;23(9):3540-3560. doi: 10.1111/pbi.70149. Epub 2025 Jun 8.
The Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays a crucial role in ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of key cell cycle regulators, which is completed by the 26S proteasome. Previously, SAMBA, a plant-specific regulator of the APC/C, was identified in Arabidopsis as a critical factor controlling organ size through the regulation of cell proliferation. Here, by assessing its role in the crop tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), we confirm that SAMBA is a conserved APC/C regulator in plants and shows additional roles, including the modulation of fruit shape and changes in sugar metabolism. Two slsamba genome-edited lines were produced and characterized, and showed delayed growth, reduced plant size, and altered fruit morphology, which were linked to changes in cell division and expansion. Notably, untargeted metabolomics revealed altered flavonoid profiles, along with elevated Brix values in the fruits, indicating a sweeter taste. Accordingly, transcriptomics uncovered a change in temporal gene expression gradients during early fruit development, correlating with the alterations in sugar metabolism and revealing changes in cell wall biosynthesis genes. This study provides the first evidence of SAMBA's role in regulating fruit development, metabolic content, and ultimately, quality. These important findings offer potential applications for improving the nutritional quality and overall performance of tomatoes.
后期促进复合物/细胞周期体（APC/C）是一种E3泛素连接酶，在关键细胞周期调节因子的泛素依赖性蛋白水解过程中发挥关键作用，该过程由26S蛋白酶体完成。此前，SAMBA作为植物特有的APC/C调节因子，在拟南芥中被鉴定为通过调节细胞增殖来控制器官大小的关键因子。在此，通过评估其在作物番茄（Solanum lycopersicum）中的作用，我们证实SAMBA是植物中保守的APC/C调节因子，并具有其他作用，包括调节果实形状和改变糖代谢。我们构建并鉴定了两个slsamba基因组编辑系，它们表现出生长延迟、植株变小和果实形态改变，这些与细胞分裂和扩展的变化有关。值得注意的是，非靶向代谢组学显示类黄酮谱发生改变，同时果实中的糖度值升高，表明味道更甜。相应地，转录组学揭示了果实早期发育过程中时间基因表达梯度的变化，这与糖代谢的改变相关，并揭示了细胞壁生物合成基因的变化。本研究首次证明了SAMBA在调节果实发育、代谢含量以及最终果实品质方面的作用。这些重要发现为改善番茄的营养品质和整体性能提供了潜在的应用。
