Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is among the world’s most destructive plant viruses, threatening global tomato yield and quality. Through fine mapping and genetic validation, researchers identified a co-chaperone gene, Sldnaj, carrying a 61-base-pair promoter deletion that causes tomato susceptibility to TSWV. Functional assays revealed that plants with this deletion exhibited enhanced virus accumulation and weakened defense responses, whereas knockout or silencing of Sldnaj significantly improved resistance. The study highlights Sldnaj as a critical susceptibility gene affecting the salicylic acid/jasmonic acid signaling pathways, offering new insight into molecular mechanisms of disease regulation and valuable guidance for developing resistant tomato cultivars.

Citrus fruit flavor depends largely on citric acid, the main organic acid determining its sourness and market appeal. Researchers have now identified CsAIL6, an AP2/ERF transcription factor that directly suppresses citric acid accumulation in citrus fruits. Overexpressing CsAIL6 in citrus or tomato significantly lowered fruit acidity, whereas silencing it led to higher citric acid levels. The study further revealed that CsAIL6 physically interacts with the WD40 protein CsAN11, a component of the MBW regulatory complex responsible for vacuolar acidification. This discovery unveils a new molecular mechanism controlling citrus acidity and provides a promising target for breeding and biotechnological strategies to enhance fruit flavor and quality.

Pollen viability is essential for plant fertility, yet the genetic mechanisms ensuring pollen wall integrity remain poorly understood. This study reveals that two NAC transcription factors, SlNOR and SlNOR-like1, act redundantly to regulate pollen development in tomato. Loss of both genes leads to collapsed, nonviable pollen and complete male sterility. The findings show that these transcription factors activate critical genes involved in lipid metabolism and pollen wall formation, such as SlABCG8/9/23, SlCER1, and SlGRP92. By controlling sporopollenin and wax biosynthesis, SlNOR and SlNOR-like1 maintain pollen wall stability, offering new insight into the transcriptional regulation of male fertility in flowering plants.