NAC transcription factor NOR-like1 regulates tomato fruit size

Fruit size is an important agricultural character that determines the yield of crops. Here, we found that NAC transcription factor NOR-like1 regulated fruit size by regulating cell layer number and cell area in tomato. Over-expressing NOR-like1 gene in tomato reduced fruit weight and size, whereas the knock-out of NOR-like1 increased fruit weight and size. At the molecular level, NOR-like1 binds to the promoter of SlGRAS2, SlFW3.2, and SlFW11.3 to repress their transcription, while it also binds to the promoter of ARF9 to activate its transcription. Overall, these results expand the biological function of NOR-like1 and deepen our understanding of the transcriptional network that regulates tomato fruit size.

Automated summary

It has been found that the NAC transcription factor NOR-like1 regulates fruit size in tomato by controlling the number of cell layers and cell area. Overexpression of the NOR-like1 gene reduces fruit weight and size, while knockout of NOR-like1 increases fruit weight and size. At the molecular level, NOR-like1 binds to the promoters of SlGRAS2, SlFW3.2, and SlFW11.3 to repress their transcription, while it also binds to the promoter of ARF9 to activate its transcription. These findings enhance our understanding of the transcriptional network that regulates fruit size in tomato.