Regulation of Tomato Fruit Development by Interacting MYB Proteins
Authors: Barg Rivka , Grotewold Erich , Salts Yechiam 
Published: December 2021

Background to the topic: Early tomato fruit development is executed via extensive cell divisions followed by cell expansion concomitantly with endoreduplication. The signals involved in activating the different modes of growth during fruit development are still inadequately understood. Addressing this developmental process, we identified SlFSM1 as a gene expressed specifically during the cell-division dependent stages of fruit development. SlFSM1 is the founder of a class of small plant specific proteins containing a divergent SANT/MYB domain (Barg et al 2005). Before initiating this project, we found that low ectopic over-expression (OEX) of SlFSM1 leads to a significant decrease in the final size of the cells in mature leaves and fruits, and the outer pericarp is substantially narrower, suggesting a role in determining cell size and shape. We also found the interacting partners of the Arabidopsis homologs of FSM1 (two, belonging to the same family), and cloned their tomato single homolog, which we named SlFSB1 (Fruit SANT/MYB–Binding1). SlFSB1 is a novel plant specific single MYB-like protein, which function was unknown. The present project aimed at elucidating the function and mode of action of these two single MYB proteins in regulating tomato fruit development. The specific objectives were: 1. Functional analysis of SlFSM1 and its interacting protein SlFSB1 in relation to fruit development. 2. Identification of the SlFSM1 and/or SlFSB1 cellular targets. The plan of work included: 1) Detailed phenotypic, histological and cellular analyses of plants ectopically expressing FSM1, and plants either ectopically over-expressing or silenced for FSB1. 2) Extensive SELEX analysis, which did not reveal any specific DNA target of SlFSM1 binding, hence the originally offered ChIP analysis was omitted. 3) Genome-wide transcriptional impact of gain- and loss- of SlFSM1 and SlFSB1 function by Affymetrix microarray analyses. This part is still in progress and therefore results are not reported, 4) Search for additional candidate partners of SlFSB1 revealed SlMYBI to be an alternative partner of FSB1, and 5) Study of the physical basis of the interaction between SlFSM1 and SlFSB1 and between FSB1 and MYBI. Major conclusions, solutions, achievements: We established that FSM1 negatively affects cell expansion, particularly of those cells with the highest potential to expand, such as the ones residing inner to the vascular bundles in the fruit pericarp. On the other hand, FSB1 which is expressed throughout fruit development acts as a positive regulator of cell expansion. It was also established that besides interacting with FSM1, FSB1 interacts also with the transcription factor MYBI, and that the formation of the FSB1-MYBI complex is competed by FSM1, which recognizes in FSB1 the same region as MYBI does. Based on these findings a model was developed explaining the role of this novel network of the three different MYB containing proteins FSM1/FSB1/MYBI in the control of tomato cell expansion, particularly during fruit development. In short, during early stages of fruit development (Phase II), the formation of the FSM1-FSB1 complex serves to restrict the expansion of the cells with the greatest expansion potential, those non-dividing cells residing in the inner mesocarp layers of the pericarp. Alternatively, during growth phase III, after transcription of FSM1 sharply declines, FSB1, possibly through complexing with the transcription factor MYBI serves as a positive regulator of the differential cell expansion which drives fruit enlargement during this phase. Additionally, a novel mechanism was revealed by which competing MYB-MYB interactions could participate in the control of gene expression. Implications, both scientific and agricultural: The demonstrated role of the FSM1/FSB1/MYBI complex in controlling differential cell growth in the developing tomato fruit highlights potential exploitations of these genes for improving fruit quality characteristics. Modulation of expression of these genes or their paralogs in other organs could serve to modify leaf and canopy architecture in various crops.