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Lee S, Singh MB, Bhalla PL. Functional analysis of soybean miR156 and miR172 in tobacco highlights their role in plant morphology and floral transition. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2023; 196:393-401. [PMID: 36753825 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Soybean (Glycine max), a significant oilseed and protein source for humans and livestock feed, needs short day photoperiod for floral induction. Further, soybean has a paleopolyploid genome with multiple copies of flowering genes adding to the complexity of genetic regulation of flowering, and seed set, especially in investigating the role of the noncoding genome. microRNAs, a class of noncoding RNA, play a regulatory role in plant development. miR156 and miR172 are major components of the essential regulatory hub controlling juvenile and vegetative developments and initiation of reproductive phase change leading to flowering. These microRNAs have been originally isolated and studied from model plant, Arabidopsis. However, a study on soybean microRNAs is lacking. We investigated the temporal expression patterns of gma-miR156a and gma-miR172a and found inversely related - gma-miR156a expression was higher in the vegetative stage, and gma-miR172a expression was elevated under inductive flowering conditions. The functions of gma-miR156a and gma-miR172a were evaluated via heterologous expressions in transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.). The analysis of overexpression transgenic lines highlighted that gma-miR156a plays a role in juvenile development via repression of the SPL transcription factor family. In contrast, gma-miR172a plays a pivotal role in the reproductive development phase by down-regulating its target genes, AP2. In addition, ectopic expression of gma-miR156a and gma-miR172a affected plant morphology and physiology during plant growth. Collectively, our results suggest that gma-miR156a and gma-miR172a regulate multiple morpho-physiological traits that could be used to enhance crop yield under changing climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangil Lee
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Mohan B Singh
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Prem L Bhalla
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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Yuan S, Wang Y, Wang J, Zhang C, Zhang L, Jiang B, Wu T, Chen L, Xu X, Cai Y, Sun S, Chen F, Song W, Wu C, Hou W, Yu L, Han T. GmFT3a fine-tunes flowering time and improves adaptation of soybean to higher latitudes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:929747. [PMID: 35958200 PMCID: PMC9358591 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.929747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Onset of flowering of plants is precisely controlled by extensive environmental factors and internal molecular networks, in which FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is a key flowering integrator. In soybean, a typical short-day plant, 11 FT homologues are found in its genome, of which several homologues are functionally diversified in flowering pathways and the others including GmFT3a are yet unknown. In the current study, we characterized GmFT3a, which is located on the same chromosome as the flowering promoters GmFT2a and GmFT5a. Overexpression of GmFT3a significantly promoted flowering of Arabidopsis under the inductive long-day (LD) photoperiod. GmFT3a over-expressed soybean also flowered earlier than the control under LD, but they were not significantly different under inductive short-day (SD) conditions, indicating that GmFT3a acts as a flowering promoter in the non-inductive photoperiod in soybean. Compared with other GmFT homologues, GmFT3a exhibited a slighter effect in flowering promotion than GmFT2a, GmFT5a and GmFT2b under LD conditions. GmFT3a promoted flowering by regulating the expression of downstream flowering-related genes and also affected the expression of other GmFTs. According to the re-sequencing data, the regional distributions of two major haplotypes in 176 soybean varieties were analyzed. The varieties with GmFT3a-Hap2 haplotype matured relatively early, and relative higher expression of GmFT3a was detected in early maturing varieties, implying that Hap2 variation may contribute to the adaptation of soybean to higher latitude regions by increasing expression level of genes in metabolism and signaling pathways. The early flowering germplasm generated by overexpression of GmFT3a has potential to be planted at higher latitudes where non-inductive long day is dominant in the growing season, and GmFT3a can be used to fine-tune soybean flowering and maturity time and improve the geographical adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Yuan
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yining Wang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Junya Wang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Chunlei Zhang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Lixin Zhang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bingjun Jiang
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Wu
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Chen
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Xu
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yupeng Cai
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shi Sun
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fulu Chen
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwen Song
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cunxiang Wu
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wensheng Hou
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lijie Yu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
| | - Tianfu Han
- MARA Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China
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Su Q, Chen L, Cai Y, Chen Y, Yuan S, Li M, Zhang J, Sun S, Han T, Hou W. Functional Redundancy of FLOWERING LOCUS T 3b in Soybean Flowering Time Regulation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:2497. [PMID: 35269637 PMCID: PMC8910378 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Photoperiodic flowering is an important agronomic trait that determines adaptability and yield in soybean and is strongly influenced by FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) genes. Due to the presence of multiple FT homologs in the genome, their functions in soybean are not fully understood. Here, we show that GmFT3b exhibits functional redundancy in regulating soybean photoperiodic flowering. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that GmFT3b is a typical floral inducer FT homolog and that the protein is localized to the nucleus. Moreover, GmFT3b expression was induced by photoperiod and circadian rhythm and was more responsive to long-day (LD) conditions. We generated a homozygous ft3b knockout and three GmFT3b-overexpressing soybean lines for evaluation under different photoperiods. There were no significant differences in flowering time between the wild-type, the GmFT3b overexpressors, and the ft3b knockouts under natural long-day, short-day, or LD conditions. Although the downstream flowering-related genes GmFUL1 (a, b), GmAP1d, and GmLFY1 were slightly down-regulated in ft3b plants, the floral inducers GmFT5a and GmFT5b were highly expressed, indicating potential compensation for the loss of GmFT3b. We suggest that GmFT3b acts redundantly in flowering time regulation and may be compensated by other FT homologs in soybean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Su
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Li Chen
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Yupeng Cai
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Yingying Chen
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Shan Yuan
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Min Li
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Jialing Zhang
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Shi Sun
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Tianfu Han
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
| | - Wensheng Hou
- National Center for Transgenic Research in Plants, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Q.S.); (L.C.); (Y.C.); (Y.C.); (J.Z.)
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology (Beijing), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (S.Y.); (M.L.); (S.S.); (T.H.)
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Arya H, Singh MB, Bhalla PL. Towards Developing Drought-smart Soybeans. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:750664. [PMID: 34691128 PMCID: PMC8526797 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.750664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Drought is one of the significant abiotic stresses threatening crop production worldwide. Soybean is a major legume crop with immense economic significance, but its production is highly dependent on optimum rainfall or abundant irrigation. Also, in dry periods, it may require supplemental irrigation for drought-susceptible soybean varieties. The effects of drought stress on soybean including osmotic adjustments, growth morphology and yield loss have been well studied. In addition, drought-resistant soybean cultivars have been investigated for revealing the mechanisms of tolerance and survival. Advanced high-throughput technologies have yielded remarkable phenotypic and genetic information for producing drought-tolerant soybean cultivars, either through molecular breeding or transgenic approaches. Further, transcriptomics and functional genomics have led to the characterisation of new genes or gene families controlling drought response. Interestingly, genetically modified drought-smart soybeans are just beginning to be released for field applications cultivation. In this review, we focus on breeding and genetic engineering approaches that have successfully led to the development of drought-tolerant soybeans for commercial use.
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