Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) acts as a signaling molecule in response to cold stress. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and C-repeat/dehydration-responsive factor (CBF) play important roles in cold response regulation. To investigate the roles of MAPKs and CBF in H2O2-induced chilling tolerance, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Ailsa Craig) plants were treated with 1 mM H2O2 before chilling treatment. The results showed that H2O2 treatment protected subcellular structure, increased concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA), zeatin riboside (ZR), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), but decreased the concentration of gibberellic acid (GA3). Furthermore, 1 mM H2O2 treatment enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Meanwhile, relative expressions of SlMAPK1/2/3 and SlCBF1 in H2O2-treated plants were higher than those in the control. Our findings suggest that H2O2 treatment might enhance the chilling tolerance of tomato plants by activating SlMAPK1/2/3 and SlCBF1 gene expression and by regulating phytohormone concentrations and antioxidant enzyme activities.
Keywords: SlCBF1; SlMAPK1/2/3; antioxidant enzymes; chilling tolerance; hydrogen peroxide; tomato plants.