CRISPR-Cas9 Reveals Role of SlSRM1-like in Leaf Development

Northeast Agricultural University researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to investigate the role of transcription factor Solanum lycopersicum salt-related MYB1-like (SlSRM1-like) in tomato leaf development. The results are published in BMC Plant Biology.

Several factors affect leaf development, such as the growth environment, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. The research team knocked out SlSRM1-like gene using CRISPR-Cas9 to reveal its role in leaf development. This resulted in abnormal tomato leaves, characterized by thinner leaves, wrinkled edges, raised veins, disordered edge veins, and left and right asymmetry. Transcription levels of the genes linked to leaf development indicated that the expression of these genes was significantly altered in the SlSRM1-like mutants. The analysis also indicated that SlSRM1-like gene functions in the regulation of tomato leaf development through the auxin-related pathway.

Read the research article in BMC Plant Biology.