03189naa a2200301 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200150006002400360007510000240011124501550013526000090029050006590029952015770095865300220253565300250255765300170258265300320259965300220263165300370265365300110269065300210270170000220272270000240274470000190276870000220278777300780280910653572025-09-10       2025    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a2096-6326.7 a10.1007/s42994-025-00220-92DOI1 aFERNANDES, P. B. B.  aRemodeling aboveground tomato plant architecture via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of a single Tiller Angle Control 1-like gene.h[electronic resource]  c2025  aArticle history: Received 27 March 2025, Accepted 19 May 2025. -- Correspondence: F.J.L. Aragão, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, PqEB W5 Norte, DF, Brasília, 70770-900, Brazil, Email: francisco.aragao@embrapa.br -- Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientıíico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil (Grant No. 304001/2023-6). Pedro B.B. Fernandes was supported by a fellowship from CNPq (Grant No. 140365/2023-0). This research was also supported by grants, scholarships, and fellowships from Embrapa (MENF, LSB, and FJLA), FAP-DF (MENF), and CNPq (MENF, LSB, and FJLA).  aABSTRACT.- Plant architecture is a major factor affecting crop management and yield. The erect leaf phenotype is a key trait for improving light capture, reducing water loss, optimizing space utilization, and facilitating the chemical and biological control of arthropods and pathogens, especially those infesting/infecting abaxial leaf surfaces. This phenotype has been associated with Tiller Angle Control 1 (TAC1)-like genes across many herbaceous and tree species. Our previous genomic and genetic analyses of the erect leaf phenotype in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) indicated that this trait is controlled by a semi-dominant locus, Erl, on chromosome 10. We discovered that this phenotype was in tight linkage with a candidate loss-of-function mutation in Solyc10g009320, an ortholog of TAC1-like genes. Therefore, editing this gene might confirm its function and enable the fine-tuned manipulation of aboveground tomato plant architecture. Here, we utilized a CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system to confirm the complete genetic association of the erect leaf phenotype in tomato by knocking out Solyc10g009320 in tomato cultivar 'Micro-Tom'. In addition, we analyzed the effects of editing this gene on the overall plant phenotype as well as physiological and agronomic performance. Editing Solyc10g009320 alleles in tomato lays the foundation for the large-scale generation of superior genotypes, paving the way for the development of elite cultivars with an erect leaf phenotype.  © Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences 2025.  aDense cultivation  aErect leaf phenotype  aGene editing  aGenetically modified plants  aINIA SALTO GRANDE  aSISTEMA VEGETAL INTENSIVO - INIA  aTomato  aTransgenic plant1 aFONSECA, M. E. N.1 aGONZÁLEZ-ARCOS, M.1 aBOITEUX, L. S.1 aARAGÃO, F. J. L.  taBIOTECH, 2025. [In Press]. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42994-025-00220-9 --