GAI — Solanum lycopersicum

Summary

SlGAI (SOLYC11G011260.1) on tomato chromosome 11 encodes a DELLA protein, a member of the GRAS transcription factor family characterized by the DELLA_N domain. The product exhibits gibberellin binding, phytochrome binding, and transcription corepressor binding activities, and is associated with E-box binding and SUMO-specific endopeptidase activity. SlGAI is linked to diverse biological processes including leaflet formation, fruit septum development, regulation of plant organ formation timing, response to karrikin, and cell wall disassembly. It localizes to the nucleus, plastid, plasmodesma, and SCF complex. The gene has been connected to agronomically important traits such as fruit set, fruit quality, grain yield, leaf length-to-width ratio, flower number, stamen number, seed coat hardness, and total soluble sugar content. Studies of related genes in other species link the DELLA family to growth regulation, stress tolerance, dwarfism, and gibberellin homeostasis.