SCFSlRAE1 regulates tomato resistance to Botrytis cinerea by modulating SlWRKY1 stability

ABSTRACT Ubiquitination, a critical post‐translational modification, plays a pivotal role in fine tuning the immune responses of plants. The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) suffers significant yield and quality losses caused by the devastating pathogen Botrytis cinerea . We have discovered the role of SlRAE1 , a gene encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase, as a pivotal negative regulator of resistance to B. cinerea . SlRAE1 interacts with SlSKP1, a component of the SKP1–Cullin1–F‐box (SCF) complex, to modulate the protein stability of the transcription factor SlWRKY1 through the 26S proteasome pathway. SlWRKY1 targets and inhibits the transcription of SlJAZ7 , a suppressor of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling, thereby activating the JA‐induced defense system and affecting tomato susceptibility to B. cinerea . The resistance enhancement observed with knock‐out SlRAE1 was reduced when SlWRKY1 was also knocked out, highlighting SlWRKY1's role in SlRAE1's regulation of tomato defense against B. cinerea . Our findings elucidate the defense mechanism in tomato and suggest that targeting SlRAE1 , by modulating SlWRKY1 stability, could help to develop resistant tomato varieties. These insights have broader implications for using gene‐editing technologies to enhance crop defense against fungi.