Tomato ripening involves the coordinated regulation of key agronomic traits such as color transformation, texture softening, and flavor compound accumulation. Elucidating its molecular mechanisms is not only a central goal in postharvest biology but also crucial for improving fruit quality and achieving precise control of storage duration. In this study, the functions of SlBEL1, SlBEL2 and SlBEL11, members of the BEL family of transcription factors in tomato, were systematically investigated through multi-dimensional experiments. Phylogenetic and amino acid sequence alignment analyses revealed that SlBEL1, SlBEL2 and SlBEL11 possessed highly conserved protein domains, suggesting potential functional similarities. Spatiotemporal expression profiling showed that the genes were synchronously highly expressed during critical stages of fruit ripening, from the breaker to the full ripening stage. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, single-gene and triple-gene editing lines of SlBEL1, SlBEL2 and SlBEL11 were generated. The single-gene editing lines CR-SlBEL1, CR-SlBEL2 and CR-SlBEL11 all exhibited a delayed fruit ripening phenotype, while the triple editing line resulted in impaired reproductive development, failing to proceed to flowering and fruit setting. Furthermore, reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that SlBEL1/2/11 modulated the expression of multiple ripening-related genes in tomato. Collectively, the results demonstrate that SlBEL1/2/11 functioned redundantly to coordinately control the fruit ripening process. This study identified novel targets for the genetic improvement of tomato fruit ripening.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |