Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes

Various pathogens severely threaten tomato yield and quality. Advances in understanding plant-pathogen interactions have revealed the intricate roles of resistance (R) and susceptibility (S) genes in determining plant immunity. While R genes provide targeted pathogen resistance, they are often vulne...

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Main Authors: Duoduo Wang, Palash Mandal, Md Sazan Rahman, Lirong Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Genome Editing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2025.1537148/full
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author Duoduo Wang
Palash Mandal
Md Sazan Rahman
Lirong Yang
author_facet Duoduo Wang
Palash Mandal
Md Sazan Rahman
Lirong Yang
author_sort Duoduo Wang
collection DOAJ
description Various pathogens severely threaten tomato yield and quality. Advances in understanding plant-pathogen interactions have revealed the intricate roles of resistance (R) and susceptibility (S) genes in determining plant immunity. While R genes provide targeted pathogen resistance, they are often vulnerable to pathogen evolution. Conversely, S genes offer a promising avenue for developing broad-spectrum and durable resistance through targeted gene editing. Recent breakthroughs in CRISPR/Cas-based technologies have revolutionized the manipulation of plant genomes, enabling precise modification of S genes to enhance disease resistance in tomato without compromising growth or quality. However, the utilization of the full potential of this technique is challenging due to the complex plant-pathogen interactions and current technological limitations. This review highlights key advances in using gene editing tools to dissect and engineer tomato S genes for improved immunity. We discuss how S genes influence pathogen entry, immune suppression, and nutrient acquisition, and how their targeted editing has conferred resistance to bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. Furthermore, we address the challenges associated with growth-defense trade-offs and propose strategies, such as hormonal pathway modulation and precise regulatory edits, to overcome these limitations. This review underscores the potential of CRISPR-based approaches to transform tomato breeding, paving the way for sustainable production of disease-resistant cultivars amidst escalating global food security challenges.
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spelling doaj-art-7c98aeae0690403a89ba631ba4f00a332025-02-10T06:49:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Genome Editing2673-34392025-02-01710.3389/fgeed.2025.15371481537148Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genesDuoduo Wang0Palash Mandal1Md Sazan Rahman2Lirong Yang3Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United StatesDepartment of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United StatesDepartment of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United StatesSchool of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomVarious pathogens severely threaten tomato yield and quality. Advances in understanding plant-pathogen interactions have revealed the intricate roles of resistance (R) and susceptibility (S) genes in determining plant immunity. While R genes provide targeted pathogen resistance, they are often vulnerable to pathogen evolution. Conversely, S genes offer a promising avenue for developing broad-spectrum and durable resistance through targeted gene editing. Recent breakthroughs in CRISPR/Cas-based technologies have revolutionized the manipulation of plant genomes, enabling precise modification of S genes to enhance disease resistance in tomato without compromising growth or quality. However, the utilization of the full potential of this technique is challenging due to the complex plant-pathogen interactions and current technological limitations. This review highlights key advances in using gene editing tools to dissect and engineer tomato S genes for improved immunity. We discuss how S genes influence pathogen entry, immune suppression, and nutrient acquisition, and how their targeted editing has conferred resistance to bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. Furthermore, we address the challenges associated with growth-defense trade-offs and propose strategies, such as hormonal pathway modulation and precise regulatory edits, to overcome these limitations. This review underscores the potential of CRISPR-based approaches to transform tomato breeding, paving the way for sustainable production of disease-resistant cultivars amidst escalating global food security challenges.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2025.1537148/fullCRISPRcrop improvementimmunitysusceptibility genetomato
spellingShingle Duoduo Wang
Palash Mandal
Md Sazan Rahman
Lirong Yang
Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
Frontiers in Genome Editing
CRISPR
crop improvement
immunity
susceptibility gene
tomato
title Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
title_full Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
title_fullStr Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
title_full_unstemmed Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
title_short Engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
title_sort engineering tomato disease resistance by manipulating susceptibility genes
topic CRISPR
crop improvement
immunity
susceptibility gene
tomato
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2025.1537148/full
work_keys_str_mv AT duoduowang engineeringtomatodiseaseresistancebymanipulatingsusceptibilitygenes
AT palashmandal engineeringtomatodiseaseresistancebymanipulatingsusceptibilitygenes
AT mdsazanrahman engineeringtomatodiseaseresistancebymanipulatingsusceptibilitygenes
AT lirongyang engineeringtomatodiseaseresistancebymanipulatingsusceptibilitygenes