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PreprintCited by 603Heat shock proteins researchPlant Stress Responses and TolerancePlant Molecular Biology Research

In the complex family of heat stress transcription factors, HsfA1 has a unique role as master regulator of thermotolerance in tomato

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Mishra, Shravan Kumar, Tripp, Joanna, Winkelhaus, Sybille, Tschiersch, Bettina, Theres, Klaus, Nover, Lutz, Scharf, Klaus-Dieter·2002·Genes & Development
DOI 10.1101/gad.228802PMC PMC186353
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Abstract

We generated transgenic tomato plants with altered expression of heat stress transcription factor HsfA1. Plants with 10-fold overexpression of HsfA1 (OE plants) were characterized by a single HsfA1 transgene cassette, whereas plants harboring a tandem inverted repeat of the cassette showed cosuppression (CS plants) by posttranscriptional silencing of the HsfA1 gene connected with formation of small interfering RNAs. Under normal growth conditions, major developmental parameters were similar for wild-type (WT), OE, and CS plants. However, CS plants and fruits were extremely sensitive to elevated temperatures, because heat stress-induced synthesis of chaperones and Hsfs was strongly reduced or lacking. Despite the complexity of the plant Hsf family with at least 17 members in tomato, HsfA1 has a unique function as master regulator for induced thermotolerance. Using transient reporter assays with mesophyll protoplasts from WT tomato, we demonstrated that plasmid-encoded HsfA1 and HsfA2 were well expressed. However, in CS protoplasts the cosuppression phenomenon was faithfully reproduced. Only transformation with HsfA2 expression plasmid led to normal expression of the transcription factor and reporter gene activation, whereas even high amounts of HsfA1 expression plasmids were silenced. Thermotolerance in CS protoplasts was restored by plasmid-borne HsfA2, resulting in expression of chaperones, thermoprotection of firefly luciferase, and assembly of heat stress granules.

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  • HsfA1 orchestrates a complex transcriptional cascade that enhances plant resilience to elevated temperatures.

    “In the context of thermotolerance, the Heat Shock Factor A1 (HsfA1) family proteins serve as master regulators of the heat stress response (Liu Y. et al., 2022), orchestrating a complex transcriptional cascade that enhances plant resilience to elevated temperatures (Mishra et al., 2002).”

    From Emerging applications of gene editing technologies for the development of climate-resilient crops (2025) · cites this paper as Mishra et al., 2002

    The Abstract reports that HsfA1 regulates heat-induced Hsf and Hsp synthesis and that silencing it severely impairs thermotolerance in tomato. The Functional diversification of tomato Hsfs section presents a sequential transcriptional cascade as a proposed model, not an established mechanism; the evidence is also specific to tomato rather than plants generally. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Modifying the HsfA1 gene in S. lycopersicum improves thermotolerance by upregulating heat stress-inducible genes and heat shock proteins.

    “Improved thermotolerance has been achieved by modifying the HsfA1 gene in S. lycopersicum, which upregulates heat stress-inducible genes and heat shock proteins (Mishra et al., 2002).”

    From Emerging applications of gene editing technologies for the development of climate-resilient crops (2025) · cites this paper as Mishra et al., 2002

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Ausubel, F.M., Brent, R., Kingston, R.E., Moore, D.D., Seidman, J.G., Smith, J.A., and Struhl, K. 1993. Current protocols in molecular biology. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

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Authors
Mishra, S. K., Tripp, J., Winkelhaus, S., Tschiersch, B., Theres, K., Nover, L., & Scharf, K.-D.
Affiliations
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
ORCID
Venue
Genes & Development
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Published
2002-06-15
Volume
16
Issue
12
Pages
1555-1567
ISSN
  • 0890-9369 (ISSN-L)
  • 1549-5477
DOI
10.1101/gad.228802
PMC
PMC186353
OpenAlex
W2114587202
Cited by
603
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 19
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Genes & Development (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Publication Server of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (Goethe University Frankfurt) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heat shock proteins research
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Molecular Biology Research
Keywords
heat stress transcription factors, heat tolerance, tomato, heat stress, HSFA2, co-suppression, post-transcriptional gene silencing, siRNA, heat shock proteins, transgenic plants, protoplast transformation
MeSH terms
Heat Shock Transcription Factors, DNA-Binding Proteins, Hot Temperature, Heat-Shock Proteins, Luciferases, Nucleic Acid Hybridization, Phenotype, Plant Proteins, Plasmids, Protein Binding, RNA, Temperature, Time Factors, Transcription Factors, Transcription, Genetic, Blotting, Southern, Immunoblotting, Blotting, Northern, Oligonucleotides, Antisense, Genes, Reporter, Solanum lycopersicum, Transgenes, Gene Silencing, RNA, Untranslated, Plants, Genetically Modified, RNA, Small Interfering

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