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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (6): 2434-2448    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2026.04.020
Horticulture Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
SlPIP1;7 enhances tomato acclimation to high VPD through optimizing stomatal morphology and regulating ROS

Yuhui Zhang1, 2, Xuemei Yu1, 2, Zhengda Zhang3, Shuhui Zhang1, 2, Jianming Li1, 2#

1 College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China 

2 Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture Engineering in Northwest, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China 

3 National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200032, China

 Highlights 

Identifies SlPIP1;7 as a key gene for tomato adaptation to high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) stress.

Overexpression enhances antioxidant activity, reducing ROS accumulation and atmospheric drought sensitivity.
Optimizes stomatal morphology to improve water-use efficiency and CO2 assimilation under high VPD.
Reveals SlERF4 transcriptional regulation of SlPIP1;7 via Y1H and LUC validation.

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摘要  

蒸汽压亏缺(Vapor pressure deficit, VPD),定义为空气中实际水汽压与饱和水汽压之差,是大气干旱的核心指标。高VPD会加剧植物蒸腾导致的水分流失,从而限制水分吸收和光合能力。质膜内在蛋白(Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins, PIPs)是调控跨膜水分快速运输的关键水通道蛋白,但其在高VPD胁迫植物响应中的动态功能与分子调控机制尚不清楚。本研究阐明了在高VPD条件下,SlPIP1;7在番茄(Solanum lycopersicum)形态、生理和分子水平多层次适应策略中的调控作用。结果表明,与野生型(WT)植株相比,SlPIP1;7过表达(OE)植株在高VPD条件下表现出更优的生长性能。SlPIP1;7的过表达显著提升了活性氧(ROS)清除效率,有效保护植物细胞免受氧化损伤。这种维持ROS稳态的保护机制与气孔功能密切相关。SlPIP1;7的过表达能够调控气孔形态、大小及开闭状态,从而促进水分和二氧化碳的高效利用,增强胁迫条件下植物整体的生理调控能力。此外,我们鉴定出乙烯响应因子SlERF4是该适应网络中的上游调控因子。酵母单杂交(Yeast One-Hybrid Assay, Y1H)和双荧光素酶(Dual-luciferase, LUC)实验表明,转录因子SlERF4可与SlPIP1;7启动子结合,增强其表达与功能。该互作进一步凸显了SlPIP1;7 在抵御高VPD胁迫中的关键作用。综上所述,本研究阐明了SlPIP1;7在植物响应和适应高VPD胁迫中的重要作用。这些发现拓展了我们对于植物适应环境胁迫分子机制的理解,并为未来培育抗旱作物的育种策略提供了参考。



Abstract  

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD), defined as the difference between the actual water vapor pressure and the saturation vapor pressure in the air, is a core indicator of atmospheric aridity.  High VPD induces intensified water loss via plant transpiration, thereby constraining water uptake and photosynthetic capacity.  The dynamic functions and molecular regulatory mechanisms of plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), key aquaporins mediating rapid transmembrane water transport, remain unclear during plant responses to high VPD stress.  In this study, we elucidated the regulatory role of SlPIP1;7 in regulating the multi-level adaptation strategy of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) at the morphological, physiological, and molecular levels under high VPD conditions.  The results indicate that, compared to wild-type (WT) plants, SlPIP1;7 overexpressing (OE) plants exhibit superior growth performance under high VPD conditions.  The overexpression of SlPIP1;7 significantly enhances the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging efficiency, effectively protecting plant cells from oxidative damage.  This protective mechanism for maintaining ROS homeostasis is closely associated with stomatal function.  The overexpression of SlPIP1;7 can regulate stomatal morphology, size, and aperture dynamics, thereby promoting efficient utilization of water and carbon dioxide and enhancing the overall physiological regulatory capacity of plants under stress conditions.  Additionally, we identified the ethylene response factor SlERF4 as an upstream regulatory factor in this adaptive network.  Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase (LUC) assays demonstrate that the transcription factor SlERF4 can bind to the SlPIP1;7 promoter, enhancing its expression and functionality.  This interaction further underscores the pivotal role of SlPIP1;7 in combating high VPD stress.  In summary, our study elucidates the crucial function of SlPIP1;7 in plant response and acclimation to high VPD stress.  These findings expand our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant acclimation to environmental stresses and provide a reference for future breeding strategies aimed at developing drought-resistant crops.

Keywords:  tomato       vapor pressure deficit        plasma membrane aquaporins        leaf morphology  
Received: 04 March 2025   Accepted: 18 October 2025 Online: 16 April 2026  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the Shaanxi Province Project on Key Core Technology Research in Agriculture, China (2023NYGG008) and the Construction of Qinchuangyuan “Scientist+Engineer” Team of Shaanxi Province, China (2023KXJ-024).

About author:  Yuhui Zhang, E-mail: zyh_0065@163.com; #Correspondence Jianming Li, E-mail: lijianming66@163.com

Cite this article: 

Yuhui Zhang, Xuemei Yu, Zhengda Zhang, Shuhui Zhang, Jianming Li. 2026. SlPIP1;7 enhances tomato acclimation to high VPD through optimizing stomatal morphology and regulating ROS. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(6): 2434-2448.

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