Jasmonate ZIM Domain Protein (<i>JAZ</i>) Gene <i>SLJAZ15</i> Increases Resistance to <i>Orobanche aegyptiaca</i> in Tomato

Abstract

Orobanche aegyptiaca Pers. is a holoparasitic plant that severely reduces tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production in China. However, there is a lack of effective control methods and few known sources of genetic resistance. In this study, we focused on key genes in the JAZ family, comparing the JAZ family in Arabidopsis thaliana (L. Heynh.) to the tomato genome. After identifying the JAZ family members in S. lycopersicum, we performed chromosomal localization and linear analysis with phylogenetic relationship analysis of the JAZ family. We also analyzed the gene structure of the JAZ gene family members in tomato and the homology of the JAZ genes among the different species to study their relatedness. The key genes for O. aegyptiaca resistance were identified using VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing), and the parasitization rate of silenced tomato plants against O. aegyptiaca increased by 47.23–91.13%. The genes were localized in the nucleus by subcellular localization. Heterologous overexpression in A. thaliana showed that the key gene had a strong effect on the parasitization process of O. aegyptiaca, and the overexpression of the key gene reduced the parasitization rate of O. aegyptiaca 1.69-fold. Finally, it was found that the SLJAZ15 gene can positively regulate the hormone content in tomato plants and affect plant growth and development, further elucidating the function of this gene.

Keywords

• <i>Orobanche aegyptiaca</i>
• <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>
• <i>JAZ</i> family
• VIGS
• Heterologous overexpression
• <i>SLJAZ15</i>