Tuning LeSPL-CNR expression by SlymiR157 affects tomato fruit ripening.

Weiwei Chen (1) , Junhua Kong (1) , Tongfei Lai (1) , Kenneth Manning (2) , Chaoqun Wu (1) , Ying Wang (1) , Cheng Qin (1) , Bin Li (1) , Zhiming Yu (1) , Xian Zhang (1) , Meiling He (1) , Pengcheng Zhang (1) , Mei Gu (3) , Xin Yang (2) , Atef Mahammed (2, 4) , Chunyang Li (2) , Toba Osman (2, 4) , Nongnong Shi (1) , Huizhong Wang (1) , Stephen Jackson (2) , Yule Liu (5) , Philippe Gallusci (6) , Yiguo Hong (1, 2)

1 Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences
2 School of Life Sciences
3 University of Warwick [Coventry]
4 Fayoum University
5 MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Centre for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences
6 BFP - Biologie du fruit et pathologie

In plants, microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in growth, development, yield, stress response and interactions with pathogens. However no miRNA has been experimentally documented to be functionally involved in fruit ripening although many miRNAs have been profiled in fruits. Here we show that SlymiR157 and SlymiR156 differentially modulate ripening and softening in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). SlymiR157 is expressed and developmentally regulated in normal tomato fruits and in those of the Colourless non-ripening (Cnr) epimutant. It regulates expression of the key ripening gene LeSPL-CNR in a likely dose-dependent manner through miRNA-induced mRNA degradation and translation repression. Viral delivery of either pre-SlymiR157 or mature SlymiR157 results in delayed ripening. Furthermore, qRT-PCR profiling of key ripening regulatory genes indicates that the SlymiR157-target LeSPL-CNR may affect expression of LeMADS-RIN, LeHB1, SlAP2a and SlTAGL1. However SlymiR156 does not affect the onset of ripening, but it impacts fruit softening after the red ripe stage. Our findings reveal that working together with a ripening network of transcription factors, SlymiR157 and SlymiR156 form a critical additional layer of regulatory control over the fruit ripening process in tomato.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Biologie végétale

Weiwei Chen, Junhua Kong, Tongfei Lai, Kenneth Manning, Chaoqun Wu, et al.. Tuning LeSPL-CNR expression by SlymiR157 affects tomato fruit ripening.. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5, pp.7852. ⟨10.1038/srep07852⟩. ⟨hal-02639557⟩