PELOTA at the crossroads of tomato fertility and viral resistance.

Abstract

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a major threat to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production, and durable resistance remains challenging to achieve. We show that complete loss of function of PELOTA (PELO), a conserved ribosome surveillance factor underlying the resistance allele ty-5, confers near-immunity to TYLCV. Unexpectedly, PELO is also required for reproductive development; pelo mutants display severe floral defects, impaired male and female fertility, and complete sterility, revealing a previously unknown role for PELO in tomato plant fertility. Using CRISPR-mediated promoter editing, we generated novel PELO alleles with reduced expression that maintain fertility while conferring enhanced resistance to TYLCV, providing a new strategy.