The pivotal ripening gene SlDML2 participates in regulating disease resistance in tomato

To decipher the molecular basis underlying SlDML2-mediated defense response to B. cinerea, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed using B. cinerea-infected tomato fruits of the sldml2-3 mutant and wild-type at 39-day post-anthesis. A total of 2310 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; fold change ≥ 2 and adjusted P value < 0.05) were identified, of which 1431 were up-regulated and 879 were down-regulated in fruits of the sldml2-3 mutant compared to the wild-type. This indicates an obvious transcriptome reprogramming caused by SlDML2 mutation in the process of B. cinerea infection. Transcriptome profiles in tomato fruits of wild-type and sldml2 mutant under B. cinerea infection were generated by RNA-seq, in triplicate, using Novaseq™ 6000 sequencer.