Tomato brown rugose fruit virus resistance generated by quadruple knockout of homologs of TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION1 in tomato

Editing of host susceptibility genes in tomato confers strong resistance against an emerging virus capable of overcoming currently available resistance genes. Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is an emerging virus of the genus Tobamovirus. ToBRFV overcomes the tobamovirus resistance gene Tm-2(2) and is rapidly spreading worldwide. Genetic resources for ToBRFV resistance are urgently needed. Here, we show that clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated targeted mutagenesis of four tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) homologs of TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION1 (TOM1), an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gene essential for tobamovirus multiplication, confers resistance to ToBRFV in tomato plants. Quadruple-mutant plants did not show detectable ToBRFV coat protein (CP) accumulation or obvious defects in growth or fruit production. When any three of the four TOM1 homologs were disrupted, ToBRFV CP accumulation was detectable but greatly reduced. In the triple mutant, in which ToBRFV CP accumulation was most strongly suppressed, mutant viruses capable of more efficient multiplication in the mutant plants emerged. However, these mutant viruses did not infect the quadruple-mutant plants, suggesting that the resistance of the quadruple-mutant plants is highly durable. The quadruple-mutant plants also showed resistance to three other tobamovirus species. Therefore, tomato plants with strong resistance to tobamoviruses, including ToBRFV, can be generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated multiplexed genome editing. The genome-edited plants could facilitate ToBRFV-resistant tomato breeding.

Automated summary

In this study, targeted mutagenesis of four susceptible genes in tomato using CRISPR/Cas9 technology conferred strong resistance against the emerging virus ToBRFV. The quadruple-mutant plants showed highly durable resistance and also exhibited resistance to other tobamovirus species. This provides a valuable genetic resource for future disease-resistant tomato breeding.