Proteomic comparison of mock‑ and potato spindle tuber viroid‑infected tomato revealed a broad down‑regulation of nucleoporins and nuclear transport receptors, leading to impaired nuclear import of the immune regulator NPR1. Overexpression of NPR1 or treatment with a salicylic‑acid analog restored defense and reduced PSTVd infection, highlighting nuclear transport repression as a key vulnerability in plant immunity against viroids.
The study isolated an endophytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain (SPT08) from tomato cotyledon seedlings that suppressed the wilt pathogen Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum and promoted plant growth, increasing height by 20% and root biomass by 60%. GFP labeling confirmed endophytic colonization, and genomic analysis revealed multiple secretion systems and secondary‑metabolite gene clusters associated with biocontrol and growth‑promoting traits.
Introducing furanocoumarin biosynthetic genes in tomato results in coumarins accumulation and impacted growth
Authors: Bouille, A., Villard, C., Galati, G., Roumani, M., Fauvet, A., Grosjean, J., Hoengenaert, L., Boerjan, W., Ralph, J., Hilliou, F., Robin, C., Hehn, A., Larbat, R.
The study engineered the linear furanocoumarin pathway in tomato by integrating four biosynthetic genes, aiming to produce psoralen, but instead generated coumarins such as scopoletin. Morphophysiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses revealed that even low levels of these coumarins can influence plant growth and physiology, highlighting both benefits and costs of coumarin accumulation in crops.
The study investigates hormetic responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings to low‑dose cadmium, demonstrating enhanced growth through morphological, biochemical, and histochemical analyses. Transcriptomic profiling revealed differential expression of oxidoreductase genes, signaling components, and several long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that generate miRNAs (sly‑MIR396a and sly‑MIR1063g), which modulate target genes to promote growth. In‑silico analyses of lncRNA targets and miRNA precursors provide mechanistic insight into cadmium‑induced hormesis and its potential for crop improvement.
Tomato leaf transcriptomic changes promoted by long-term water scarcity stress can be largely prevented by a fungal-based biostimulant
Authors: Lopez-Serrano, L., Ferez-Gomez, A., Romero-Aranda, R., Jaime Fernandez, E., Leal Lopez, J., Fernandez Baroja, E., Almagro, G., Dolezal, K., Novak, O., Diaz, L., Bautista, R., Leon Morcillo, R. J., Pozueta Romero, J.
Foliar application of Trichoderma harzianum cell‑free culture filtrates (CF) increased fruit yield, root growth, and photosynthesis in a commercial tomato cultivar under prolonged water deficit in a Mediterranean greenhouse. Integrated physiological, metabolite, and transcriptomic analyses revealed that CF mitigated drought‑induced changes, suppressing about half of water‑stress responsive genes, thereby reducing the plant’s transcriptional sensitivity to water scarcity.
Exogenous Hormone Treatments Reveal Species-Specific Regulation of Individual Components of Root Architecture and Salt Ion Accumulation in Cultivated and Wild Tomatoes
Authors: Rahmati-Ishka, M., Craft, E., Pineros, M., Julkowska, M. M.
The study examined how individual hormone treatments (auxin, ethylene, gibberellin) influence root architecture and ion accumulation under salt stress in three tomato accessions, revealing species-specific hormonal effects on lateral root development and Na/K ratios. Genetic analyses using Arabidopsis mutants and a tomato ethylene‑perception mutant (nr) identified novel hormonal signaling components that modulate salt stress responses, highlighting potential strategies to improve crop performance.
A nested association mapping (NAM) population was created in lentil by crossing the cultivar CDC Redberry with 32 diverse genotypes, producing recombinant inbred lines that were field‑phenotyped for days to emergence, flowering, and maturity. Exome capture sequencing and genome‑wide association studies identified 14 significant loci, including both known and novel candidates, demonstrating the NAM design’s ability to uncover minor‑effect loci for complex traits. This publicly available lentil NAM population provides a high‑resolution resource for trait discovery and pre‑breeding.
Transcriptomic analysis of genotypes derived from Rosa wichurana unveils molecular mechanisms associated with quantitative resistance to Diplocarpon rosae
The study investigated the molecular basis of quantitative resistance to black spot disease in a Rosa wichurana × Rosa chinensis F1 population, identifying two major QTLs (B3 on LG3 and B5 on LG5). RNA‑seq of inoculated and control leaf samples at 0, 3, and 5 days post‑inoculation revealed extensive transcriptional reprogramming, with QTL B3 triggering classic defense pathways and QTL B5 showing a limited, distinct response. These findings highlight complex, QTL‑specific regulation underlying durable black‑spot resistance in roses.
The study applied a novel Stomatal Patterning Phenotype (SPP) spatial analysis to high‑throughput phenotyping data from 180 maize recombinant inbred lines, dissecting stomatal density into component traits related to cell size, packing, and positional probabilities. Using these derived traits, the authors built a structural equation model that explained 74% of stomatal density variation and identified specific quantitative trait loci for lateral and longitudinal stomatal patterning.
The study performs a bibliometric analysis of 1,702 Scopus-indexed tomato omics publications over two decades, revealing a rapid surge in output after 2017 and highlighting dominant fields such as biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Citation and co‑authorship network analyses identify key contributions in microRNA research and genome sequencing, major research hubs, and collaborative clusters, while keyword mapping underscores stress response, fruit quality, and immunity as priority topics.