Biomedical subjects

Sanwen Huang

Publications and source records attributed to Sanwen Huang.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Balancing growth and immunity of potato by humidity-dependent expression of a late blight resistance gene.

Inducible expression of resistance genes is an effective approach to balance plant growth and immunity, thus facilitating the development of disease-resistant crop cultivars. While pathogen-responsive and immunity-related promoters have been adopted for this purpose, alternative design strategies remain to be explored. High relative humidity (RH) has been recognized as a crucial permissive environmental condition for the occurrence of devastating plant diseases including tomato and potato late blight. Here, we identified humidity-activated cis-regulatory elements (HAEs) in Solanum lycopersicum through an integrative analysis of transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data. Sequence homology-inferred HAEs in S. tuberosum can predict humidity-elicited changes in downstream gene expression. Transgenic S. tuberosum lines expressing a late blight resistance gene driven by an artificial humidity-inducible promoter containing a natural S. tuberosum HAE were generated. These transgenic lines exhibited comparable late blight resistance levels to the lines overexpressing the same resistance gene in controlled zoospore inoculation bioassays, while avoiding growth suppression and tuber yield penalties in common garden experiments. Our findings highlight the importance of plant cis-regulatory elements in the transcriptional responses to high RH and provide a proof-of-concept for a humidity-inducible environment-responsive resistance gene deployment strategy to engineer disease-resistant crop cultivars without compromising growth and yield.

Phytophthora infestans↗

PubMed2026

The TANG cluster comprising ten nitrate transporter genes controls fruit sweetness and size in tomato.

Sucrose is a major transport form of photoassimilated carbon in tomato, Arabidopsis, and many other plant species, and plays a critical regulatory role in plant growth, development, and fruit quality. Plant vacuoles function as storage organelles, accumulating substantial quantities of metabolically inactive nitrates as a nitrogen reserve and soluble sugars as a carbon reserve. Consequently, the balance between nitrate and sucrose accumulation determines plant growth dynamics and fruit taste. In this study, we identified a gene cluster designated TANG (Total soluble solidsAccumulation viaNitrate transporterGene cluster), comprising ten nitrate transporter genes that are significantly associated with sucrose accumulation in tomato. This gene cluster mediates the transport of nitrate between the cytoplasm and vacuole, thereby influencing its storage. Functional disruption of TANG8, a member of the gene cluster, results in either enhanced sugar accumulation or increased fruit size. Selective disruption of multiple TANG cluster members yields fruits with elevated sweetness and increased fruit size in S. pimpinellifolium. The interaction between the TANG members and a tonoplast localized Sucrose Transporter 4 provides insight into the competitive accumulation of nitrate and sugar. The multiplex editing of a gene cluster provides a successful example of engineering crops with high quality and yield.

Gene cluster↗

PubMed2026

Advances in genomics-driven genetic decoding and genomic design breeding in tomato.

Tomatoes are highly nutritious and represent one of the important vegetable fruits worldwide. Both historically and moving forward, genetic decoding and precision breeding remain fundamental to tomato improvement. Here, we summarize pivotal advances in decoding tomato genomes across domestication, improvement and evolution processes and provide a perspective on future breeding through precision design. In-depth population genetic studies have revealed how artificial selection systematically prioritized yield-related alleles at the cost of narrowing genetic diversity, especially at flavor-related loci-highlighting the urgent need to reconcile these trade-offs. Comparative genomics across species, viewed through an evolutionary lens, has uncovered critical insights into functional genes, deepening our understanding of the genetic architecture and regulatory mechanisms underlying key traits. Collectively, these advances have enabled precise identification and functional characterization of key genetic elements, paving the way for systematic redomestication of tomato through precision genomic design. Looking ahead, more efficient and precise breeding strategies will be required to accelerate genetic gains in tomato in the coming decades. The integration of recent genomic advances, coupled with genomic selection and artificial intelligence, into genomic design breeding offers a transformative framework, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for developing highly flavorful and consumer-customized tomato varieties.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2025

Molecular breeding of tomato: Advances and challenges.

The modern cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was domesticated from Solanum pimpinellifolium native to the Andes Mountains of South America through a "two-step domestication" process. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century and later widely cultivated worldwide. Since the late 19th century, breeders, guided by modern genetics, breeding science, and statistical theory, have improved tomatoes into an important fruit and vegetable crop that serves both fresh consumption and processing needs, satisfying diverse consumer demands. Over the past three decades, advancements in modern crop molecular breeding technologies, represented by molecular marker technology, genome sequencing, and genome editing, have significantly transformed tomato breeding paradigms. This article reviews the research progress in the field of tomato molecular breeding, encompassing genome sequencing of germplasm resources, the identification of functional genes for agronomic traits, and the development of key molecular breeding technologies. Based on these advancements, we also discuss the major challenges and perspectives in this field.

Solanum lycopersicum↗

PubMed2024

The genomic route to tomato breeding: Past, present, and future.

Over the past 10,000 years, tomato species have undergone both unintentional and intentional selection to enhance their favorable traits for human consumption and manufacturing. These selection processes have significantly influenced the genomes of tomato species and have played a critical role in improving tomato varieties. In this review, we summarize recent advances in tomato genome sequencing, explore the impact of human-driven selection, and recapitulate key genes associated with important agronomic traits in tomato breeding. We provide several examples of genomics-guided tomato breeding to highlight the potential of genome resources in facilitating tomato improvement. Furthermore, we elaborate the progress and strategies of tomato breeding through genome design and present how such efforts can help future enhancements of tomato to align with the demands of sustainability and evolving human societies.

Solanum lycopersicum↗