The ideal plant architecture is a critical factor in achieving high yields in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation.  The length and number of internodes directly influence plant height.  Therefore, investigating the regulatory mechanisms of internode morphology is essential for the genetic enhancement of tomatoes.  We identified a naturally occurring field mutant, tomato elongated internode (tei), characterized by longer internodes and darker leaf color.  Physiological hormone and microscopic studies revealed that, compared to wild-type (WT) plants, the tei mutant exhibited increased endogenous GA3 levels, enhanced photosynthetic capacity, and elongation of stem internode cells.  RNA-seq analysis results of tei and WT indicated enrichment in the gibberellin pathway.  We employed BSA-seq for mapping analysis on tei, WT, and F₂ populations, leading to the fine mapping of the candidate gene designated as TEI (Tomato Elongated Internode).  This gene encoded a gibberellin 20 oxidase (GA20ox) protein and was identified as Solyc09g042210.  Additionally, we discovered numerous SNPs and InDel mutations in the TEI promoter region, with expression levels of TEI in tei stems significantly higher than those in WT.  Furthermore, knocking out the TEI gene eliminated its role in elongating internodes.  We proposed that TEI serves as the primary effector gene regulating the internode elongation phenotype associated with tei.  This discovery offered researchers a novel target for enhancing crop plant varieties by modulating gibberellin homeostasis, ultimately contributing to the breeding of superior tomato varieties.

PLATZ is a novel zinc finger DNA-binding protein that plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development and resisting abiotic stress.  However, there has been very little research on the function of this family gene in tomatoes, which limits its application in germplasm resource improvement.  Therefore, the PLATZ gene family was identified and analyzed in tomato, and its roles were predicted and verified to provide a basis for in-depth research on SlPLATZ gene function.  In this study, the PLATZ family members of tomato were identified in the whole genome, and 19 SlPLATZ genes were obtained.  Functional prediction was conducted based on gene and promoter structure analysis and RNA-seq-based expression pattern analysis.  SlPLATZ genes that responded significantly under different abiotic stresses or were significantly differentially expressed among multiple tissues were screened as functional gene resources.  SlPLATZ17 was selected for functional verification by experiment-based analysis.  The results showed that the downregulation of SlPLATZ17 gene expression reduced the drought and salt tolerance of tomato plants.  Tomato plants overexpressing SlPLATZ17 had larger flower sizes and long, thin petals, adjacent petals were not connected at the base, and the stamen circumference was smaller.  This study contributes to understanding the functions of the SlPLATZ family in tomato and provides a reference for functional gene screening.

Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) are among the most prevalent foliar diseases in wheat, causing significant annual yield losses worldwide. To identify rust resistance genes in U.S. winter wheat, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on resistance to leaf and stripe rusts in U.S. winter wheat cultivars and elite advanced breeding lines. Using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and wheat 90K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, we identified two novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs), QLr.hwwg-2BL and QLr.hwwg-4AL, and four QTLs corresponding to known genes Lr74, Lr77, Lr18 and Lr68 for leaf rust resistance. We also identified five QTLs conferring stripe rust resistance, which included the three previously characterized loci Yr17/YrM1225 on the 2NS/2AS translocation, Yr30/Sr2 on 3BS, and QYr.hwwg-2BS, along with two putative novel loci, QYr.hwwg-2AS.2 and QYr.hwwg-4BL, with the latter located in a QTL-rich region. The QTLs identified in this study will be useful for improving durable resistance to leaf and stripe rusts in new wheat cultivars using marker-assisted gene-pyramiding strategy. 

The evolutionary development of adventitious roots (ARs) in plants enhances their capacity to adapt to various stress conditions. A thorough analysis of the influencing factors in its morphological construction holds significant theoretical value and practical guidance for overcoming rooting obstacles in cuttings, as well as for cultivating superior varieties characterized by broad adaptability and stress resistance. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of ARs in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).by performing transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). We analyzed the transcription profiles of relevant genes in the "Y962" strain, which exhibits spontaneous AR formation, and the "W961" strain, which does not form ARs. Our findings indicate that the AR induction stage represents an active phase of development, during which we identified 1,676 overlapping genes across the three comparison groups, highlighting the most differentially expressed genes. Functional enrichment analysis showed that they were most closely related to response to auxin, and were also dependent on the crosstalk between other hormones and carbohydrates. Furthermore, through the measurement of endogenous auxin levels and the induction tests with exogenous auxin, it was established that the formation of ARs is closely linked to the accumulation and transport of auxin. Notably, the auxin efflux SlPIN3, which was enriched in the auxin response pathway, exhibited significantly high expression during the induction phase of ARs. The slpin3 mutant, generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system, exhibited a significant reduction in the number of ARs, highlighting the close relationship between polar transport regulated by SlPIN3 and auxin-induced AR formation. In summary, this study not only enriches the developmental network of AR formation in tomatoes with a wealth of data but also elucidates the potential mechanisms for promoting AR development by targeting SlPIN3.