SmMYB113 integrates ABA signaling with ICE-CBF transcriptional synergy to enhance low-temperature adaptation in eggplant

The MYB transcription factor family represents the largest class of transcription factors in plants, playing crucial roles in regulating plant growth, development, and stress defense responses. This study demonstrates that overexpression of SmMYB113 in eggplant cultivar '108' significantly enhances cold tolerance. The results showed that SmMYB113 enhances cold tolerance through a dual regulatory mode: it binds to the promoter of the ABA biosynthetic gene SmAAO4-1, upregulating its expression and significantly increasing ABA content; meanwhile, it physically interacts with SmICE2, enhancing SmICE2's transcriptional activation capability on SmCBF2, thereby elevating the expression of downstream cold-responsive genes to combat low-temperature stress. These results indicate that SmMYB113 regulates eggplant cold tolerance through a multi-layered cold resistance mechanism integrating hormone signaling and transcriptional cascades.