A vacuolar invertase gene SlVI modulates sugar metabolism and postharvest fruit quality and stress resistance in tomato

作者：Yu Wu, Haonan Chen, Mengbo Wu, Yuanyi Zhou, Chuying Yu, Qihong Yang, Filip Rolland, Bram Van de Poel, Mondher Bouzayen, Nan Hu, Yikui Wang, Mingchun Liu · 发表于：Horticulture Research · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1093/hr/uhae283 · 被引用次数：29 · 研究领域：Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism、Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology、Plant Micronutrient Interactions and Effects

Abstract Sugars act as signaling molecules to modulate various growth processes and enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Moreover, sugars contribute to the postharvest flavor in fleshy fruit crops. To date, the regulation of sugar metabolism and its effect in plant growth, fruit ripening, postharvest quality, and stress resistance remains not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of tomato gene encoding a vacuolar invertase, hydrolyzing sucrose to glucose and fructose. SlVI is specifically expressed during the tomato fruit ripening process. We found that overexpression of SlVI resulted in increased leaf size and early flowering, while knockout of SlVI led to increased fruit sucrose content, enhanced fruit firmness, and elevated resistance of postharvest fruit to Botrytis cinerea. Moreover, the content of naringenin and total soluble solids was significantly increased in SlVI knockout fruit at postharvest stage. Transcriptome analysis showed a negative feedback regulation triggered by sucrose accumulation in SlVI knockout fruit resulting in a downregulation of BAM3 and AMY2, which are critical for starch degradation. Moreover, genes associated with cell wall, cutin, wax, and flavonoid biosynthesis and pathogen resistance were upregulated in SlVI knockout fruit. Conversely, the expression levels of genes involved in cell wall degradation were decreased in knockout fruit. These results are consistent with the enhanced postharvest qu...