Search Results (207)

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) are crucial catalysts responsible for the oxidative modification of diverse substrates, including plant hormones, antioxidants, and compounds involved in abiotic stress responses. While CYP functions in drought and salt stress adaptation have been extensively studied, their contribution to alkaline stress tolerance, particularly concerning specific cytochrome P450 genes in wild soybean (Glycine soja), remains less explored. In this study, a cytochrome P450 gene, GsCYP93D1, was identified and isolated, and its regulatory role under alkaline stress was elucidated. Transgenic GsCYP93D1 increased Arabidopsis and soybean hairy root resistance to alkaline stress, but the Arabidopsis atcyp93d1 mutant showed a reduced capacity for alkaline tolerance. Subsequent investigation showed the enhanced antioxidant defense capabilities of GsCYP93D1 transgenic plants, as evidenced by reduced superoxide radical (O₂⁻) production under exposure to alkaline stress. Furthermore, compared to the atcyp93d1 mutant, transgenic lines of GsCYP93D1 showed sensitivity to ABA. Moreover, transcript levels of genes associated with alkaline stress response and ABA signaling pathways were elevated in both GsCYP93D1 transgenic and mutant lines. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that GsCYP93D1 positively modulates plant tolerance to alkaline stress and enhances ABA sensitivity. Full article

The ABI3 transcription factor is a key regulator in plant growth and development. Through transcriptome analysis of the resistant soybean cultivar ‘Dongnong L10′ and the susceptible cultivar ‘Heinong 37′ exposed to soybean cyst nematode race 3 (SCN 3) stress, the differentially expressed gene GmABI3VP1 was identified. The GmABI3VP1 gene was then cloned and analyzed through bioinformatics, subcellular localization, and qRT-PCR analysis of resistant and susceptible soybean germplasms, as well as overexpression and gene editing of soybean hairy roots followed by SCN 3 identification analysis. It was found that the protein encoded by GmABI3VP1 is an acidic and hydrophilic protein with transmembrane domains. It has a collinear relationship with Arabidopsis and is widely distributed in plants. Through the analysis of promoter elements, it was shown that this gene contains multiple hormone-responsive promoter elements like ABRE/ABRE3a/ABRE/4a/as-1 and stress-responsive elements such as Myb/MYC/MYc. Transient expression in tobacco indicated that the GmABI3VP1 gene is located in the nucleus. The transcription of GmABI3VP1 responds to the stress of SCN, and its transcriptional level is relatively high in the roots of resistant materials. Genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes was used to obtain GmABI3VP1 gene overexpressed and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited soybean hairy roots. In comparison to the wild type (WT), the density of nematodes per area was notably lower in hairy roots overexpressing (OX) the gene, whereas the density of SCN per unit area (per cm of lateral root length) significantly increased in gene-edited (KO) soybean hairy roots. Through SCN phenotyping, GmABI3VP1 was identified as a contributor to SCN 3 resistance. This study provides initial insights into the role of the GmABI3VP1 gene in SCN resistance, establishing a robust basis for future research on the mechanisms underlying SCN disease resistance and offering valuable genetic reservoirs for SCN 3 resistance. Full article

In a previous study, GmMYB14 overexpressing (GmMYB14-OX) transgenic soybean plants displayed a semi-dwarfism and compact phenotype, which was regulated by the brassinosteroid (BR) pathway. However, the phenotype of GmMYB14-OX plants could be partly rescued after spraying them with exogenous BR. This indicates that other hormones, in addition to BR, also play a role in regulating the architecture of GmMYB14-OX plants. We observed a significant decrease in the content of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in transgenic soybean lines (OX9 and OX12) compared to wild type (WT) plants. The plant height, leaf area, leaf petiole length, and leaf petiole angle of GmMYB14-OX plants could also be partly rescued after applying exogenous IAA for two weeks. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of many genes within the Aux/IAA gene family underwent alterations in the GmMYB14-OX transgenic soybean plants. Among them, Glyma.02G000500 (GmIAA1) showed the highest expression in GmMYB14-OX plants. Furthermore, the results of electrophoretic mobility shift assay and dual-luciferase reporter indicate that GmMYB14 protein could bind to the promoter of GmIAA1. In summary, a decrease in endogenous IAA content may be one of the factors contributing to the compact and dwarfed architecture of GmMYB14-OX plants. GmMYB14 also acts as a transcriptional activator of GmIAA1 to potentially block IAA effects. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for further investigation of the regulatory mechanism of GmMYB14 on soybean plant architecture. Full article

Soybean (Glycine max), as an important crop for both oil and grains, is a major source of high-quality plant proteins for humans. Among various natural disasters affecting soybean production, waterlogging is one of the key factors leading to yield reduction. It can cause root rot and seedling death, and in severe cases, even total crop failure. Given the significant differences in responses to waterlogging stress among different soybean varieties, traditional single-trait indicators are insufficient to comprehensively evaluate flood tolerance. In this study, relative seedling length (RSL) was used as a comprehensive evaluation index for flood tolerance. Using a chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) population derived from SN14 and ZYD00006, we successfully identified seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with seed waterlogging tolerance. By integrating RNA-Seq transcriptome sequencing and phenotypic data, the functions of candidate genes were systematically verified. Phenotypic analysis indicated that Suinong14 had significantly better flood tolerance than ZYD00006. Further research revealed that the Glyma.05G160800 gene showed a significantly up-regulated expression pattern in Suinong14; qPCR analysis revealed that this gene exhibits higher expression levels in submergence-tolerant varieties. Haplotype analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between different haplotypes and phenotypic traits. The QTLs identified in this study can provide a theoretical basis for future molecular-assisted breeding of flood-tolerant varieties. Additionally, the functional study of Glyma.05G161800 in regulating seed flood tolerance can offer new insights into the molecular mechanism of seed flood tolerance. These findings could accelerate the development of submergence-tolerant rice varieties, enhancing crop productivity and stability in flood-prone regions. Full article

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal that can greatly affect crops and pose a threat to food security. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are capable of alleviating the harm of Cd to crops. In this research, a Cd-tolerant PGPR strain was isolated and screened from the root nodules of semi-wild soybeans. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. strain KM25 by 16S rRNA. Strain KM25 has strong Cd tolerance and can produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, dissolve organic and inorganic phosphorus, and has 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. Under Cd stress, all growth indicators of soybean seedlings were significantly inhibited. After inoculation with strain KM25, the heavy metal stress of soybeans was effectively alleviated. Compared with the non-inoculated group, its shoot height, shoot and root dry weight, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content were significantly increased. Strain KM25 increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities of soybean seedlings, reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, increased the Cd content in the roots of soybeans, and decreased the Cd content in the shoot parts. In addition, inoculation treatment can affect the community structure of endophytic bacteria in the roots of soybeans under Cd stress, increasing the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Sphingomonas, Rhizobium, and Pseudomonas. This study demonstrates that strain KM25 is capable of significantly reducing the adverse effects of Cd on soybean plants while enhancing their growth. Full article

Soybean meal (SBM) is extensively used as a predominant protein source in animal feed. However, raw soybean cannot be directly utilized in animal feed, due to the presence of the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTi) and the Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor (BBi). These antinutritional factors inhibit the digestive enzymes in animals, trypsin and chymotrypsin, resulting in poor animal performance. To inactivate the activity of protease inhibitors, SBM is subjected to heat processing, a procedure that can negatively impact the soybean protein quality. Thus, it would be beneficial to develop soybean varieties with little or no trypsin inhibitors. In this study, we report on the creation of experimental soybean lines with significantly reduced levels of Bowman–Birk protease inhibitors. RNA interference (RNAi) technology was employed to generate several transgenic soybean lines. Some of these BBi knockdown soybean lines showed significantly lower amounts of both trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor activities. Western blot analysis revealed the complete absence of BBi in selected RNAi-derived lines. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis demonstrated a drastic reduction in the seed-specific expression of BBi genes in the transgenic soybean lines during seed development. Confocal fluorescence immunolabeling studies showed that the accumulation of BBi was drastically diminished in BBi knockdown lines compared to wild-type soybeans. The absence of BBi in the transgenic soybean did not alter the overall protein, oil, and sulfur amino acid content of the seeds compared to wild-type soybeans. The seed protein from the BBi knockdown lines were more rapidly hydrolyzed by trypsin and chymotrypsin compared to the wild type, indicating that the absence of BBi enhances protein digestibility. Our study suggests that these BBi knockdown lines could be a valuable resource in order for plant breeders to incorporate this trait into commercial soybean cultivars, potentially enabling the use of raw soybeans in animal feed. Full article

The domesticated species currently available in the market have been developed through the breeding of wild relatives. Breeding strategies using wild relatives with high genetic diversity are attracting attention as an important approach for addressing climate change and ensuring sustainable food supply. However, studies examining gene expression variation in multiple wild and domesticated species are limited. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the changes in gene expression associated with domestication. We performed a meta-analysis of public gene expression data of domesticated species of rice, tomato, and soybean and their presumed ancestral species using 21 pairs for rice, 36 pairs for tomato, and 56 pairs for soybean. In wild relatives, the expression of genes involved in osmotic, drought, and wound stress tolerance was upregulated, with 18 genes included in the top 5% of DW scores. In domesticated species, upregulated expression was observed in genes related to auxin and those involved in the efflux of heavy metals and harmful substances, with 36 genes included in the top 5% of DW scores. These findings provide insights into how domestication influences changes in crop traits. Thus, our findings may contribute to rapid breeding and the development of new varieties capable of growing in harsh natural environments. Hence, a new cultivation method called “de novo domestication” has been proposed, which combines the genetic diversity of currently unused wild relatives and wild relatives with genome editing technologies that enable rapid breeding. Full article

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is grown worldwide to obtain edible oil, livestock feed, and biodiesel. However, drought and salt stress are becoming serious challenges to global soybean cultivation as they retard the growth of soybean plants and cause significant yield losses. Voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) proteins are well-known for their role in drought and salt tolerance in crop plants. In this study, we identified 111 putative VDAC genes randomly distributed in genomes of 14 plant species, including cultivated soybean (Glycine max) and wild soybean (Glycine soja). The comparative phylogenetic studies classified these genes into six different clades and found the highest structural similarities among VDAC genes of G. max and G. soja. From the conserved domain database, porin-3 (PF01459) was found to be the conserved domain in all VDAC proteins. Furthermore, gene annotation studies revealed the role of GmaVDAC proteins in voltage-gated anion channel activity. These proteins were also found to interact with other proteins, especially mitochondrial receptors. A total of 103 miRNAs were predicted to target fifteen GmaVDAC genes. In G. max, these genes were found to be segmentally duplicated and randomly distributed on twelve chromosomes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the GmaVDAC18.2 gene showed overexpression in root nodules, whereas the GmaVDAC9.1, GmaVDAC18.1, and GmaVDAC18.2 genes showed overexpression under drought and salt stress conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Wild soybean could grow in different soil types and under diverse climate conditions, which provides rich genetic resources in the locality. It is important to understand the genetic diversity as well as phenotypic variation for soybean breeding. The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of 96 wild soybean accessions collected in Zhejiang Province, and to explore the potential advantage of germplasm resources for further application. Methods: These 96 annual type soybean resources have been propagated, identified and evaluated in both 2022 and 2023. In addition, their agronomic, quality and genetic traits have been characterized. Results: Most of the accessions exhibited sooty seed coats with different stem and leaf shapes. The means of seed protein and oil contents were 45.4% and 10.0%, respectively. There were significant differences in both protein and oil contents based upon the seed size. The average number of alleles per loci was 3.96, and the average PIC value was 0.619. The 96 accessions were clustered into three different groups. Each group had a consistency with both the geographical sources and the seed quality traits. Conclusions: There were agronomic, quality and genetic variations of these wild soybean accessions by the comprehensive analyses. This study gave us a combined understanding of both phenotypic variation and genetic diversity of wild soybean accessions in Zhejiang. Therefore, both reasonable exchanging and crossing between different soybean types is highly recommended. Full article

Wild soybean (Glycine soja, GS) is a traditional medicine used to treat inflammation. In this study, the anti-atopic properties of GS leaf and stem extract on skin inflammation were evaluated in the Dermatophagoides farinae-extract-induced mouse model and keratinocytes. Oral administration of the GS extract reduced scratching, dermatitis score, transepidermal water loss, thickness of epidermis, inflammatory cell accumulation, and serum concentrations of thymic stromal lymphopoietin and immunoglobulin E. GS downregulated the expression of inflammatory gene markers of atopic dermatitis (AD), including interleukin (IL)-6; regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES); thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC); and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) and upregulated the expression of filaggrin, a keratinocyte differentiation marker, in skin tissue. GS downregulated Janus kinase 1, signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) 1, and STAT3 pathways. Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography, we identified seven flavonoids in GS extract, including apigenin, epicatechin, genistein, genistin, daidzin, daidzein, and soyasaponin Bb. GS, apigenin, and genistein reduced the expression of IL-6, MDC, TARC, and RANTES and increased filaggrin via the downregulation of STAT3 phosphorylation in interferon-γ/tumor necrosis factor-α-stimulated keratinocytes. Our results suggest that GS leaf and stem extract ameliorates AD-like skin inflammation by regulating the immune response and restoring skin barrier function. Full article

The necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is widely distributed and infects a broad range of hosts, making it one of the most economically damaging plant pathogens. This study demonstrated that pyrimethanil, an anilinopyrimidine fungicide, exhibited potent activity against S. sclerotiorum, with EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.411 to 0.610 μg/mL. Four highly pyrimethanil-resistant mutants were obtained through chemical taming, with EC₅₀ values of 7.247 to 24.718 μg/mL. These mutants exhibited significantly reduced mycelial growth, sclerotia production, and pathogenicity compared to their wild-type parental isolates, indicating that pyrimethanil resistance suffered a fitness penalty in S. sclerotiorum. Notably, three mutants (DDJH-Pyri-R1, DDJH-Pyri-R3, and DDJH-Pyri-R4), completely lose the capacity to infect detached tomato leaves. Point mutations that cause amino acid changes in the predicted sequence of cystathione-γ synthase (CGS) and cystathione-β lyase (CBL), encoded by SsCGS1 and SsCGS2, were identified in three mutants. However, one mutant (DDJH-Pyri-R2) showed no mutations in these genes, suggesting an alternative resistance mechanism. Molecular docking revealed that mutations in SsCGS1-R3, SsCGS1-R4, and SsCGS2-R1 reduced the binding affinity between pyrimethanil and SsCGSs. No cross-resistance was observed between pyrimethanil and other commonly used fungicides, including carbendazim, fludioxonil, prochloraz, tebuconazole, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, fluazinam, and cyprodinil. These findings provide valuable insights for designing resistance inhibitors and suggest that pyrimethanil has significant potential for controlling soybean sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by S. sclerotiorum. Full article

The seed-coat color and seed size have an impact on both the evolutionary fitness and the grain yield of crops. Soybean is a major oil crop, and the seed-coat color and seed size exhibit natural diversity among the different soybean varieties. Here, we found an R2R3-MYB transcription factor of GmMYB62, which shows a significant increase in expression as the seed-coat color changes from yellow to black in different soybean varieties. The GmMYB62 was specifically highly expressed in reproductive organs, especially in floral organs in soybeans. The GmMYB62 encodes a nuclear protein that contains two MYB domains. In the phylogenetic analysis, the GmMYB62 was relatively conserved after the divergence of the monocots and dicots, and it also grouped with transcriptional repressors of MYBs in anthocyanin synthesis. The GmMYB62 was overexpressed in Arabidopsis and the seeds displayed a pale-brown coat in GmMYB62 overexpression lines, in contrast to the dark-brown seed coat observed in wild-type of Col-0. The anthocyanin content in the GmMYB62 overexpression lines was dramatically reduced when compared to Col-0. Additionally, the seeds in overexpression lines showed shorter lengths, larger widths, and lower thousand-seed weights than those in Col-0. Furthermore, the genes related to anthocyanin synthesis and seed size regulation were investigated, and expression of eight genes that involved in anthocyanin synthesis pathway, like chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) were severely inhibited in the GmMYB62 overexpression lines when compared to Col-0. In addition, the ARGOS-LIKE (ARL), B-Type Cyclin 1 (CYCB1), and enhancer of DA1-1 (EOD3), which govern cell expansion and proliferation, were highly expressed in GmMYB62 overexpression lines when compared to Col-0. Overall, this study sheds new light on the control of seed-coat color and seed size by GmMYB62 and provides potentially valuable targets for improving crop seed quality. Full article

The regulation of downstream responsive genes by transcription factors (TFs) is a critical step in the stress response system of plants. While bZIP transcription factors are known to play important roles in stress reactions, their functional characterization in soybeans remains limited. Here, we identified a soybean bZIP gene, GmbZIP60, which encodes a protein containing a typical bZIP domain with a basic region and a leucine zipper region. Subcellular localization studies confirmed that GmbZIP60 is localized in the nucleus. Expression analysis demonstrated that GmbZIP60 is induced by salt stress, drought stress, and various plant hormone treatments, including abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene (ETH), and methyl jasmonate acid (MeJA). Overexpressing GmbZIP60 (OE-GmbZIP60) in transgenic soybean and rice enhanced tolerance to both salt and drought stresses. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that the expression levels of abiotic stress-responsive genes were significantly higher in transgenic plants than in wild-type (WT) plants under stress conditions. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR (ChIP-qPCR) analysis further confirmed that GmbZIP60 directly binds to the promoters of abiotic stress-related genes induced by ABA, ETH, JA, and salicylic acid (SA). Overall, these findings revealed GmbZIP60 as a positive regulator of salt and drought stress tolerance. Full article

Tyromyces chioneus fruiting bodies could potentially be used for food and medicine; however, we still have limited knowledge about their optimal cultivation conditions and nutritional quality. In this study, we cultivated a wild strain of T. chioneus collected from Sandaoguan National Forest Park in Mudanjiang City. We compared the growth and yield of fruiting bodies on a sawdust substrate alone or in combination with corncobs, soybean straw, or corn straw. We also determined the contents of crude protein, crude polysaccharide, dietary fiber, total flavonoids, and other nutrients in the fruiting bodies and the ability of T. chioneus to degrade cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin when grown on a sawdust–corncob substrate. T. chioneus produced two flushes of fruiting bodies on all tested substrates, but the mycelial colonization time, primordial initiation time, and time interval between flushes varied among the substrates, with ranges of 28.00 ± 1.00–30.67 ± 0.58 d, 9.33 ± 0.58–11.67 ± 0.58 d, and 11.33 ± 0.5–13.00 ± 1.00 d, respectively. The sawdust–corncob substrate resulted in a substantially higher biological efficiency (BE) of 35.14 ± 0.93% compared to the previously reported 19.15%, along with the highest yield of 196.80 ± 5.21 g bag⁻¹. The contents of total flavonoids, crude protein, dietary fiber, and calcium of the fruiting bodies produced on the sawdust–corncob substrate were 708 mg 100 g⁻¹, 16.30 g 100 g⁻¹, 18.82 g 100 g⁻¹, and 554 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The degradation rates of lignin and cellulose in the sawdust–corncob substrate by T. chioneus were 33.93% and 37.72%, respectively. This study suggests that sawdust–corncob could be a promising substrate to cultivate T. chioneus. Full article

The GS3 protein is a G protein widely conserved in plants, playing a pivotal role in growth, development, and stress responses. With the protein sequence of the AT1/GS3 gene in sorghum as a query, this study identified five GS3 gene family members in the soybean genome database and designated GmGS3-1 to GmGS3-5. Promoter cis-element analysis suggested that soybean GS3 is implicated in responses to abiotic stress. Additionally, collinearity analysis indicated that soybean GS3 genes are subject to purifying selection. Transcriptomic data of the five soybean GS3 genes revealed that the nuclear-localized gene GmGS3-1 is highly expressed in root tissues and significantly upregulated under salt and drought stress, as confirmed by qRT-PCR assays. Functional validation for salt and drought tolerance demonstrated that transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited higher fresh weight compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Furthermore, GmGS3-1 was found to interact with multiple G proteins, suggesting its synergistic role in the abiotic stress tolerance of soybean. These findings establish a theoretical framework for understanding the functional role of the GS3 gene family in soybean stress tolerance and development. Full article