SlMAPK3-SlWRKY5-SlGR1 Module Mediates Thermotolerance Response in Tomato via Transcriptional and Post-Translational Mechanisms.
SlMAPK3, SlWRKY5, and SlGR1 form a regulatory module that enhances tomato thermotolerance through combined transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms.
- Why it matters: Understanding how plants respond to heat stress is crucial for improving crop resilience amid climate change, yet the specific roles of WRKY transcription factors in tomato heat response remain unclear.
- What they did: Researchers identified SlWRKY5 as a heat-induced transcription factor that activates heat-responsive genes, interacts with SlMAPK3, and regulates SlGR1 to boost ROS scavenging, using gene expression and interaction analyses.
- The result: This module enables rapid heat stress responses and supports normal growth in tomato plants, providing a foundation for genetic strategies to develop thermotolerant cultivars.