title: Overexpression of SlREV alters the development of the flower pedicel abscission zone and fruit formation in tomato.
abstract: Versatile roles of REVOLUTA (REV), a Class III homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP III) transcription factor, have been depicted mainly in Arabidopsis and Populus. In this study, we investigated the functions of its tomato homolog, namely SlREV. Overexpression of a microRNA166-resistant version of SlREV (35S::REV(Ris)) not only resulted in vegetative abnormalities such as curly leaves and fasciated stems, but also caused dramatic reproductive alterations including continuous production of flowers at the pedicel abscission zone (AZ) and ectopic fruit formation on receptacles. Microscopic analysis showed that meristem-like structures continuously emerged from the exodermises of the pedicel AZs and that ectopic carpels formed between the first and second whorl of floral buds in 35S::REV(Ris) plants. Transcriptional data suggest that SlREV may regulate genes related to meristem maintenance and cell differentiation in the development of the flower pedicel abscission zone, and modulate genes in homeodomain and MADS-box families and hormone pathways during fruit formation. Altogether, these results reveal novel roles of SlREV in tomato flower development and fruit formation.
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
authors.forename: Guojian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China; Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xian
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
authors.forename: Dongbo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. Electronic address: zhengguoli@cqu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhengguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D018519:Meristem / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: Abscission zone; Fruit formation; HD-ZIP III; MicroRNA; REVOLUTA; Tomato