BBX17 and epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression regulation in Solanum lycopersicum

• Grant number: 24/22057-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Magdalena Rossi
• Grantee: Raquel Tsu Ay Wu
• Supervisor: Keqiang Wu
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/03093-1 - Functional characterization of tomato genes encoding B-box family proteins and their interactors, BP.DD

Abstract

In tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, B-box domain containing proteins (SlBBXs) have shown to playa role in different physiological processes during plant's lifespan, such as shade avoidance, bioticand abiotic stress response, vegetative and reproductive development, and fruit nutritional quality. The mode of action of the SlBBX proteins have been associated to the transcriptional regulation either by the direct interaction with target gene promoters or modulating other transcription factors activity through heterodimerization. However, the information about whether BBX proteins are regulated or regulate target genes through epigenetic mechanisms are still scarce. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a yeast-one-hybrid followed by sequencing assay with the promoter of SlBBX17. Two proteins putatively involved in epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression regulation were identified: HISTONE DEACETYLASE 8 (SlHDA8) and MORF RELATED GENE 2 (SlMRG2). The encoding genes have not been characterized in tomato yet, but their Arabidopsis thaliana homologous are histone modifiers involved in flowering and abiotic response regulation. This project aims to investigate how the pattern of histone modifications in SlBBX17 and its target genes is affected by SlHDA8 and SlMRG2 performing chromatin immuneprecipitation assays followed by qPCR and genome wide sequencing.