Tomato MED25 regulates fruit ripening by interacting with EIN3-like transcription factors

Abstract

Fruit ripening relies on the precise spatiotemporal control of RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-dependent gene transcription, and the evolutionarily conserved Mediator (MED) coactivator complex plays an essential role in this process. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a model climacteric fruit, ripening is tightly coordinated by ethylene and several key transcription factors. However, the mechanism underlying the transmission of context-specific regulatory signals from these ripening-related transcription factors to the Pol II transcription machinery remains unknown. Here, we report the mechanistic function of MED25, a subunit of the plant Mediator transcriptional coactivator complex, in controlling the ethylene-mediated transcriptional program during fruit ripening. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that MED25 physically interacts with the master transcription factors of the ETHYLENE-INSENSITIVE 3 (EIN3)/EIN3-LIKE (EIL) family, thereby playing an essential role in pre-initiation complex formation during ethylene-induced gene transcription. We also show that MED25 forms a transcriptional module with EIL1 to regulate the expression of ripening-related regulatory as well as structural genes through promoter binding. Furthermore, the EIL1-MED25 module orchestrates both positive and negative feedback transcriptional circuits, along with its downstream regulators, to fine-tune ethylene homeostasis during fruit ripening.