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Plants
Volume 14
Issue 21
10.3390/plants14213259
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Overexpression of SlMADS48 Alters the Structure of Inflorescence and the Sizes of Sepal and Fruit in Tomato

by
Pengyu Guo
1,
Xin Cheng
1,
Chuanji Xing
2,
Zihan Gao
1,
Jing Xue
2,
Xiuhai Zhang
2,
Guoping Chen
1,
Xuqing Chen
2,* and
Zongli Hu
1,*
1
Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Tomato, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
2
Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(21), 3259; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213259 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 21 September 2025 / Revised: 14 October 2025 / Accepted: 17 October 2025 / Published: 24 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Horticultural Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

MADS-box transcription factors play a vital role in the development of reproductive organs and fruits. However, the mechanisms by which MADS-box transcription factors participate in determining the size of organs remain incompletely understood. This study demonstrated that the overexpression of SlMADS48 results in elongated sepals and is accompanied by an elevated gibberellin content, compared with the wild type (WT). The interaction between SlMADS48 and several proteins (SlMC, SlMBP21, SlJOINTLESS, and SlFYFL) involved in sepal development was identified. In addition, the OE-SlMADS48 lines exhibited increased branches and total numbers of flowers. Molecular analysis revealed that SlMADS48 interacted with TM29, FUL1, FUL2, and MBP20, which are associated with inflorescence development. Moreover, SlMDS48 directly targeted the promoter of SlTM3 via the CArG-box motif, reducing its transcript levels. Additionally, the overexpression of SlMADS48 led to a reduction in the size of fruit, together with decreased contents of cytokinins and indole acetic acid (IAA) compared with the WT. Furthermore, SlMADS48 directly combined with the promoters of SlcycD6;1 and SlIAA29 in the cytokinin and auxin pathways, respectively. This research advanced our understanding of SlMADS48’s role in determining organ size and provided valuable insights into target gene selection in tomato breeding programs.
Keywords: tomato; SlMADS48; sepal and fruit size; inflorescence; phytohormone; RNA-Seq tomato; SlMADS48; sepal and fruit size; inflorescence; phytohormone; RNA-Seq

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MDPI and ACS Style

Guo, P.; Cheng, X.; Xing, C.; Gao, Z.; Xue, J.; Zhang, X.; Chen, G.; Chen, X.; Hu, Z. Overexpression of SlMADS48 Alters the Structure of Inflorescence and the Sizes of Sepal and Fruit in Tomato. Plants 2025, 14, 3259. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213259

AMA Style

Guo P, Cheng X, Xing C, Gao Z, Xue J, Zhang X, Chen G, Chen X, Hu Z. Overexpression of SlMADS48 Alters the Structure of Inflorescence and the Sizes of Sepal and Fruit in Tomato. Plants. 2025; 14(21):3259. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213259

Chicago/Turabian Style

Guo, Pengyu, Xin Cheng, Chuanji Xing, Zihan Gao, Jing Xue, Xiuhai Zhang, Guoping Chen, Xuqing Chen, and Zongli Hu. 2025. "Overexpression of SlMADS48 Alters the Structure of Inflorescence and the Sizes of Sepal and Fruit in Tomato" Plants 14, no. 21: 3259. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213259

APA Style

Guo, P., Cheng, X., Xing, C., Gao, Z., Xue, J., Zhang, X., Chen, G., Chen, X., & Hu, Z. (2025). Overexpression of SlMADS48 Alters the Structure of Inflorescence and the Sizes of Sepal and Fruit in Tomato. Plants, 14(21), 3259. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213259

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