Peptide signaling for drought-induced tomato flower drop

The premature abscission of flowers and fruits limits crop yield under environmental stress. Drought-induced flower drop in tomato plants was found to be regulated by phytosulfokine (PSK), a peptide hormone previously known for its growth-promoting and immune-modulating activities. PSK formation in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2020-03, Vol.367 (6485), p.1482-1485
Main Authors: Reichardt, S, Piepho, H-P, Stintzi, A, Schaller, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abscission
Cell Wall - enzymology
Cell walls
Crop yield
Drought
Droughts
Environmental stress
Ethylenes
Flowers
Flowers - physiology
Fruit - physiology
Fruits
Gene Knockdown Techniques
Hydrolases - physiology
Immunomodulation
Indoleacetic Acids
Lycopersicon esculentum - physiology
Peptide Hormones - physiology
Peptides
Plant Proteins - physiology
Plants (botany)
Plants, Genetically Modified - physiology
Protease
Proteinase
Proteolysis
Signal Transduction
Signaling
Stress, Physiological
Subtilisin
Tomatoes
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Summary:The premature abscission of flowers and fruits limits crop yield under environmental stress. Drought-induced flower drop in tomato plants was found to be regulated by phytosulfokine (PSK), a peptide hormone previously known for its growth-promoting and immune-modulating activities. PSK formation in response to drought stress depends on phytaspase 2, a subtilisin-like protease of the phytaspase subtype that generates the peptide hormone by aspartate-specific processing of the PSK precursor in the tomato flower pedicel. The mature peptide acts in the abscission zone where it induces expression of cell wall hydrolases that execute the abscission process. Our results provide insight into the molecular control of abscission as regulated by proteolytic processing to generate a small plant peptide hormone.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaz5641