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Acta Agronomica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (4): 863-872.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2025.44134

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING·GERMPLASM RESOURCES·MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Functional analysis of the plasma membrane intrinsic protein gene SiPIP1;3 from Saussurea involucrata in tomato

ZHANG Xiao-Li(), LIU Xiao-Yan, XIA Wen-Wen(), LI Jin()   

  1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2024-08-21 Accepted:2024-12-12 Online:2025-04-12 Published:2024-12-19
  • Contact: E-mail: 365689825@qq.com; E-mail: lijin@shzu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(32260726);Tianchiyingcai Foundation(CZ001617);Shihezi University High Level Talent Research Launch Project(RCZK202470)

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Abstract:

Aquaporins (AQPs), as key facilitators of water transport across cellular membranes, play an essential role in plant growth and adaptation to environmental stresses. Previously, the plasma membrane intrinsic protein gene SiPIP1;3 was cloned from a low-temperature expression library of Saussurea involucrata, a cold-tolerant herbaceous plant. To investigate the function of SiPIP1;3 under low-temperature stress, a plant expression vector containing SiPIP1;3 was constructed and transformed into cold-sensitive tomato plants. The results demonstrated that SiPIP1;3 expression significantly enhanced tomato tolerance to low-temperature treatment by promoting the accumulation of soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and proline, while reducing membrane lipid peroxidation. Moreover, field cultivation results revealed that SiPIP1;3 expression improved intercellular CO2 concentration by increasing stomatal conductance in tomato leaves. This led to a marked improvement in net photosynthetic efficiency and water use efficiency, ultimately resulting in a significant increase in both the average fruit size and fruit number per plant. In conclusion, the expression of SiPIP1;3 significantly enhances low-temperature tolerance and fruit yield in tomato plants. This study provides a valuable genetic resource and establishes a theoretical foundation for breeding cold-resistant tomato varieties.

Key words: SiPIP1, 3 gene, cold resistance, photosynthetic efficiency, fruit yield

Fig. 1

SiPIP1; 3 gene clone"

Fig. 2

Sequence analysis of the hydroporin SiPIP1;3 protein A: SiPIP1;3 multi-sequence alignment; B: SiPIP1;3 secondary structure analysis; C: SiPIP1;3 hydrophilicity analysis; D: hylogenetic tree of SiPIP1;3."

Fig. 3

Identification of tomato lines transgenic for the SiPIP1;3 gene A: DNA PCR identification of transgenic tomato lines; B: identification of transgenic tomato lines by RT-PCR; M: MARK III; WT: wild-type tomato strains."

Fig. 4

Phenotypic and physiological data of wild-type and transgenic tomatoes under low temperature stress A: growth of wild-type and transgenic tomatoes after 8 h at 4℃ and 2 h at -2℃; B: relative water content; C: relative electrical conductivity content; D: MDA content; E: soluble protein content; F: soluble sugar content; G: proline content. Data are means ± SD of three replicates. *, **, ***, and **** mean significant difference at the 0.05, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.0001 probability levels, respectively. ns: no significant difference."

Fig. 5

Analysis of agronomic traits in wild-type and transgenic tomatoes A: overall growth of the tomato plant during fruit ripening; B: comparison of wild-type and transgenic tomato yields; C: number of wild-type and transgenic tomato fruits per plant in 2020 and 2021; D: transverse and longitudinal traverses of wild-type and transgenic tomato fruits in 2020 and 2021; E: fruit weight per plant of wild-type and transgenic tomatoes in 2020 and 2021. Data are means ± SD of twenty-one replicates. *, **, ***, and **** mean significant difference at the 0.05, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.0001 probability levels, respectively. ns: no significant difference."

Fig. 6

Photosynthetic indicators of wild-type and transgenic tomatoes Data are means ± SD of twenty-one replicates. *, **, ***, and **** mean significant difference at the 0.05, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.0001 probability levels, respectively. ns: no significant difference."

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