Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
10:56
Co-localization of Cell Lineage Markers and the Tomato Signal
Published on: December 28, 2016
Single-nucleus transcriptome profiling unveils cell-type-specific ethylene and TOR signaling in tomato
Wei Huang1,2, Liujing Yang1,3, Nan Hu4
1State Key Laboratory of Genome and Multi-omics Technologies, BGI Research, Wuhan 430047, China.
Horticulture Research
|May 11, 2026
Summary
This study maps cell-type-specific ethylene and target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling in tomato seedlings. It reveals epidermis as key for ethylene-driven growth and identifies JA1 as a negative ethylene regulator.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Molecular signaling
- Genomics
Background:
- Plant etiolation is crucial for seedling emergence, regulated by ethylene and target of rapamycin (TOR) pathways.
- Cell-type-specific regulation of these pathways in plant development is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a single-nucleus RNA transcriptome atlas of tomato seedling apical hooks and hypocotyls.
- To investigate cell-type-specific responses to ethylene and TOR signaling during etiolation.
Main Methods:
- Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of 117,929 nuclei from tomato seedlings under mock, aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), or Torin2 treatments.
- Analysis of cellular composition, differential gene expression, and cell differentiation trajectories.
Main Results:
- Identified seven major cell types with distinct transcriptional programs.
- Ethylene (ACC) treatment altered epidermal cell proportion in apical hooks; TOR inhibition (Torin2) had minimal impact on cell composition.
- Apical hooks showed extensive ACC-responsive genes, while hypocotyls responded strongly to Torin2.
- Discovered ethylene/auxin pathway crosstalk and identified JA1 as a negative ethylene regulator in epidermal cells.
Conclusions:
- Deciphers cell-type-specific ethylene-TOR crosstalk in plant etiolation.
- Establishes epidermis as a critical cell type for ethylene-mediated etiolated growth.
- Provides a single-cell RNA sequencing framework for dissecting plant signaling networks.
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