Silencing the MYB gene SlMYB48 confers sensitivity to the cold stress in Solanum lycopersicum

Low-temperature stress severely threatens the productivity of horticultural crops worldwide. The precise temporal regulation of cold-responsive genes is fundamental to plant cold acclimation and tolerance mechanisms. Although MYB transcription factors have been widely investigated for their roles in plant growth and development, their specific contributions to cold tolerance regulation remain understudied. Through comprehensive transcriptome profiling, this study identified SlMYB48 as the most rapidly and robustly induced gene in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) under low-temperature conditions. Functional validation via gene silencing demonstrated that reduced SlMYB48 expression significantly compromised tomato cold tolerance. These findings unveil a new regulatory node in the MYB-mediated cold response pathway in tomatoes, providing molecular insights that could guide the development of novel breeding strategies to enhance cold stress resilience in this economically vital crop species.