Transcription factor SlGATA22 negatively regulates cold stress resistance and modulates tomato seedling growth

GATA transcription factors (TFs) play a variety of roles involved in the regulation of physiological processes in the plant kingdom. The functions of the majority of GATA TFs in tomato remain largely unexplored. SlGATA22 was found to be upregulated under cold stress conditions in tomato plants. In this study, we generated SlGATA22 mutants by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and SlGATA22-overexpressing tomato plants to elucidate its function. Results indicated that the internode length of SlGATA22 mutant seedlings became shorter, axillary meristem differentiation advanced and the cold resistance increased, while the internode of SlGATA22-overexpressing (OE) seedlings became longer and cold resistance decreased. Transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SlGATA22 CRISPR mutant plants were significantly enriched in pathways related to environmental stress response, whereas DEGs in SlGATA22 overexpressing plants were primarily involved in basal metabolic processes. SlCBF1 and SlCBF2 expression patterns were influenced by SlGATA22 expression. These results demonstrate that SlGATA22 is a negative regulator that responds to cold stress and involved with the CBF pathway. Consequently, SlGATA22 may be a potential locus for genetic modification for enhancing crop abiotic resistance.