Gene silencing of SLZF57 reduces drought stress tolerance in tomato

SLZF57 belongs to the C2H2 zinc finger protein family. Our group’s previous experiments found that SLZF57 was active in response to drought stress. In this experiment, SLZF57 was analyzed for the ABA hormone-induced expression pattern, and VIGS technology was used to verify the function of SLZF57. The experimental results showed that the expression of SLZF57 was upregulated after the induction of exogenous ABA hormone. Through phenotypic observation and analyses of gene expression patterns and physiological indices (Pro, POD, SOD, MDA) of the silenced plants under drought stress, the drought resistance of SLZF57 gene-silenced plants was found to be decreased, indicating that SLZF57 played an important role under drought stress.