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Volume 12
Issue 3
10.3390/horticulturae12030343
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Article

SlFBX38, an F-Box Protein, Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomato

by
Yuanyuan Lei
1,†,
Siyue Meng
2,†,
Mingshu Chen
2,
Jiale Deng
3,
Weijian Li
1,
Shanling Wang
1,
Ludan Liang
1,
Honghong Chen
1,
Jingtao Hu
1,
Yu Pan
2,* and
Dan Du
1,2,*
1
College of Biology and Food Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing 404100, China
2
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosecurity and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
3
Agricultural Technology Service Center of Qianjiang District, Chongqing 409000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contribute equally to this work.
Horticulturae 2026, 12(3), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030343
Submission received: 23 January 2026 / Revised: 23 February 2026 / Accepted: 6 March 2026 / Published: 12 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Tomato)
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Abstract

Heat stress, intensified by global warming, poses a great threat to plant growth and crop production. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying heat stress response (HSR) remain largely unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized SlFBX38, an F-box gene in tomato. SlFBX38 was predominantly expressed in leaves and fruits, and its expression levels were induced by heat stress and various phytohormones, including ABA, JA and SA. Subcellular location analysis revealed that SlFBX38 resides in both the nucleus and cytoplasm in N. benthamiana leaf cells, but it displays no transcriptional activity. Overexpression of SlFBX38 (OE) lines conferred enhanced heat stress tolerance, as evidenced by improved photosynthetic efficiency, elevated accumulation of ascorbic acid (AsA), stronger protective enzyme activities, and upregulation of HSR-related genes in SlFBX38-OE lines under heat stress condition. To identify potential interacting proteins, yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) library screening and further Y2H verification indicate that SlFBX38 may interact with SlbHLH058. Collectively, these findings establish SlFBX38 as a positive regulator of thermotolerance in tomato and provide a basis for further mechanistic studies of its role in HSR.
Keywords: SlFBX38; F-box; HSR; ascorbic acid (AsA); tomato SlFBX38; F-box; HSR; ascorbic acid (AsA); tomato

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lei, Y.; Meng, S.; Chen, M.; Deng, J.; Li, W.; Wang, S.; Liang, L.; Chen, H.; Hu, J.; Pan, Y.; et al. SlFBX38, an F-Box Protein, Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomato. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 343. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030343

AMA Style

Lei Y, Meng S, Chen M, Deng J, Li W, Wang S, Liang L, Chen H, Hu J, Pan Y, et al. SlFBX38, an F-Box Protein, Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomato. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(3):343. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030343

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lei, Yuanyuan, Siyue Meng, Mingshu Chen, Jiale Deng, Weijian Li, Shanling Wang, Ludan Liang, Honghong Chen, Jingtao Hu, Yu Pan, and et al. 2026. "SlFBX38, an F-Box Protein, Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomato" Horticulturae 12, no. 3: 343. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030343

APA Style

Lei, Y., Meng, S., Chen, M., Deng, J., Li, W., Wang, S., Liang, L., Chen, H., Hu, J., Pan, Y., & Du, D. (2026). SlFBX38, an F-Box Protein, Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomato. Horticulturae, 12(3), 343. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12030343

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