Biology subjects

Rodriguez-Leal, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Rodriguez-Leal, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Morphological and biochemical evaluation of tolerance to water deficit identifies SlCLE9 as a novel regulator of drought stress

We performed a screening to evaluate the responses to water deficit before the flowering stage in a panel of 31 genotypes composed of one commercial hybrid, one wild species, multiple ex-PVP (vintage) lines, several commercial heirlooms from the Northeast USA, Mexican landraces from hot and humid environments and genome edited lines with altered flowering and inflorescence traits. We characterized 18 different morphological, physiological and biochemical traits to assess the response to 40% water deficit. We observed diverse morphological, physiological and biochemical responses across the 31 genotypes screened, suggesting the presence of useful variation for breeding for drought tolerance in cultivated tomato. Interestingly, some heirlooms exhibited superior performance under drought, suggesting they can be used as donors to discover novel genes involved in drought responses. Unexpectedly, we found mutants in SlCLE9, a paralog of the stem cell regulator SlCLV3 known to co-regulate meristem proliferation in tomato, exhibited enhanced drought tolerance. Notably, the slcle9 mutant also conferred drought tolerance when used as rootstock with grafted scions from our reference cultivar M82, suggesting SlCLE9 influence root architecture and drought response. Consistent with this, we found SlCLE9 is transcriptionally upregulated in roots and leaves during drought stress, and exogenous application of SlCLE9 modifies root growth and response to drought. Altogether, our screening uncovered new potential trait donors for breeding against drought stress and describes a novel role for SlCLE9 in drought tolerance.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Optimization of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of commercial heirloom tomato cultivars to develop novel traits via CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing

Genetic improvement using new genome editing approaches rely on the efficient delivery of the CRISPR/Cas system in the vegetable crop tomato. Previous protocols for tomato transformation have primarily focused on a handful of cultivars (M82, Alisa Craig, Microtom, Sweet-100) with very little commercial relevance, and it is not clear if these protocols can be implemented directly in other commercially relevant varieties. Heirloom tomatoes are sought for their deep and diverse flavor but have not been subjected to systematic crop improvement via conventional breeding or biotechnology approaches such as transgenesis or genome editing. Therefore, we tested the transformation and regeneration capacity of six different heirloom cultivars known for their superior taste and market relevance in the US. Subsequently, we optimized rooting conditions and used the GRF4-GIF1 chimeric developmental regulator to successfully recover transgenic plants. Finally, we evaluated the efficiency of targeted genetic modification using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system in several of these cultivars. We demonstrate that our optimizations led to successful transformation of several heirloom varieties, including the generation of edited plants for target genes modifying plant architecture and flowering time. Our results set the foundation for a biotechnology platform to deliver improved traits to local and regional heirloom varieties using genome editing.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

TaWUS2D regulates the number of grains per spikelet by enhancing the number of fertile ovaries in Multi-Ovary Wheat

Innovative genetic improvements in the staple crop Triticum aestivum (bread wheat) are urgently needed to address the growing global food security crisis. Here, we report the map-based cloning of TaWUS2D, the gene responsible for the dominant multi-ovary phenotype in wheat. Multi-ovary lines are characterized by the development of three fertile ovaries per floret that results in three grains, as opposed to wildtype single ovary wheat. We used HiFi long-reads to assemble a 14.48 Gbp genome scaffold assembly in the background of mutli-ovary wheat line MOV. Using high-resolution genetic mapping, combined with additional genomic resources, we defined the Mov-1 locus to a 135 Kbp region containing two genes. Using five independent deletion mutants and eight TILLING mutants, we demonstrate that a functional WUSCHEL-like protein, TaWUS2D, is required for the multi-ovary phenotype. TaWUS2D is upregulated in the MOV genetic background. This research lays the groundwork for developing new approaches to improve wheat production potential and sustainability in the face of current and future global food challenges.

plant biology↗