Sedoheptulose-1,7-Bisphosphatase is Involved in Methyl Jasmonate- and Dark-Induced Leaf Senescence in Tomato Plants

Leaf senescence represents the final stage of leaf development and is regulated by diverse internal and environmental factors. Jasmonates (JAs) have been demonstrated to induce leaf senescence in several species; however, the mechanisms of JA-induced leaf senescence remain largely unknown in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase), an enzyme functioning in the photosynthetic carbon fixation in the Calvin–Benson cycle, was involved in methyl jasmonate (MeJA)- and dark-induced leaf senescence in tomato plants. We found that MeJA and dark induced senescence in detached tomato leaves and concomitantly downregulated the expression of SlSBPASE and reduced SBPase activity. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9)-mediated mutagenesis of SlSBPASE led to senescence-associated characteristics in slsbpase mutant plants, including loss of chlorophyll, repressed photosynthesis, increased membrane ion leakage, and enhanced transcript abundance of senescence-associated genes. Collectively, our data suggest that repression of SBPase by MeJA and dark treatment plays a role in JA- and dark-induced leaf senescence.