Genetius

The study generated a dataset of 420 sgRNAs targeting promoters, exons, and introns of 137 tomato genes in protoplasts, linking editing efficiency to chromatin accessibility, genomic context, and sequence features. Open chromatin sites showed higher editing rates, while transcriptional activity had little effect, and a subset of guides produced near‑complete editing with microhomology‑mediated deletions. Human‑trained prediction models performed poorly, highlighting the need for plant‑specific guide design tools.

The study examined salt-induced alterations in root system architecture across a diverse panel of wild and cultivated tomato accessions, identifying tolerant varieties with distinct lateral root strategies. By combining Bulk Segregant Analysis of an F2 population with GWAS, the authors pinpointed 22 candidate genes, further narrowing to two key regulators through RNA‑Seq and functional assays involving ethylene and ROS profiling. These findings reveal genetic targets for improving salt resilience in tomato root development.