AUTHOR=Prihatna Cahya , Barbetti Martin J. , Barker Susan J. 

TITLE=A Novel Tomato Fusarium Wilt Tolerance Gene

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01226

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.01226

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The reduced mycorrhizal colonization (<italic>rmc</italic>) tomato mutant is unable to form mycorrhiza and is more susceptible to Fusarium wilt compared with its wild-type isogenic line 76R. The <italic>rmc</italic> mutant has a chromosomal deletion affecting five genes, one of which is similar to <italic>CYCLOPS.</italic> Loss of this gene is responsible for non-mycorrhizality in <italic>rmc</italic> but not enhanced Fusarium wilt susceptibility. Here, we describe assessment of a second gene in the <italic>rmc</italic> deletion, designated <italic>Solyc08g075770</italic> that is expressed in roots. Sequence analyses show that <italic>Solyc08g075770</italic> encodes a small transmembrane protein with putative phosphorylation and glycosylation sites. It is predicted to be localized in the plasma membrane and may function in transmembrane ion transport and/or as a cell surface receptor. Complementation and knock-out strategies were used to test its function. Some putative CRISPR/Cas-9 knock-out transgenic events exhibited Fusarium wilt susceptibility like <italic>rmc</italic> and some putative complementation lines were 76R-like, suggesting that the tomato <italic>Solyc08g075770</italic> functions in Fusarium wilt tolerance. This is the first study to demonstrate that <italic>Solyc08g075770</italic> is the contributor to the <italic>Tfw</italic> locus, conferring tolerance to Fusarium wilt in 76R which was lost in <italic>rmc.</italic></p>