Publications by authors named "Zhixi Tian"

Soybean, the fourth most important crop in the world, uniquely serves as a source of both plant oil and plant protein for the world's food and animal feed. Although soybean production has increased approximately 13-fold over the past 60 years, the continually growing global population necessitates further increases in soybean production. In the past, especially in the last decade, significant progress has been made in both functional genomics and molecular breeding.

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Background: Root nodule symbiosis (RNS) is a fascinating evolutionary event. Given that limited genes conferring the evolution of RNS in Leguminosae have been functionally validated, the genetic basis of the evolution of RNS remains largely unknown. Identifying the genes involved in the evolution of RNS will help to reveal the mystery.

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The automated collection of plant phenotypic information has become a trend in breeding and smart agriculture. Four YOLOv8-based models were used to segment mature soybean plants placed in a simple background in a laboratory environment, identify pods, distinguish the number of soybeans in each pod, and obtain soybean phenotypes. The YOLOv8-Repvit model yielded the most optimal recognition results, with an R2 coefficient value of 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers conducted a genome-wide association study and identified a key gene, GmSW17, on chromosome 17 that influences soybean seed width and weight.
  • GmSW17 is a ubiquitin-specific protease that interacts with other proteins to regulate certain cellular processes affecting seed development.
  • This gene has been subject to artificial selection during soybean domestication but is not fully established in current breeding practices, offering potential for enhancing crop yield.
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  • Gene innovation is crucial for the evolution of traits, particularly in the context of Leguminosae plants and their rhizobial symbioses, which are key for nitrogen fixation in agriculture.
  • The research focused on identifying gene gain events in the evolution of root nodule symbiosis (RNS) in Leguminosae, discovering that these genes were mainly acquired through gene duplication and underwent strong purifying selection.
  • Among the findings, type II chalcone isomerase (CHI) genes, particularly CHI1A and CHI1B, showed structural divergences and functional differences, with CHI1B being essential for nodulation in legumes like soybean and Medicago truncatula, shedding light on genetic
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The establishment of symbiotic interactions between leguminous plants and rhizobia requires complex cellular programming activated by Rhizobium Nod factors (NFs) as well as type III effector (T3E)-mediated symbiotic signaling. However, the mechanisms by which different signals jointly affect symbiosis are still unclear. Here we describe the mechanisms mediating the cross-talk between the broad host range rhizobia Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 T3E Nodulation Outer Protein L (NopL) effector and NF signaling in soybean.

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Flowering time and maturity are crucial agronomic traits that affect the regional adaptability of soybean plants. The development of soybean cultivars with early maturity adapted to longer days and colder climates of high latitudes is very important for ensuring normal ripening before frost begins. FUL belongs to the MADS-box transcription factor family and has several duplicated members in soybeans.

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Triterpenoid saponins, synthesized via the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway in the cytoplasm, provide protection against pathogens and pests in plants and health benefits for humans. However, the mechanisms by which triterpenoid saponins are transported between cellular compartments remain uncharacterized. Here, we characterize a tonoplast localized multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporter, GmMATE100 (encoded by ), from soybean ( L.

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Artificial domestication provided the original motivation to the blooming of agriculture, following with the dramatic change of the genetic background of crops and livestock. According to theory and technology upgradation that contributing to the omics, we appreciate using the pan-genome instead of single reference genome for crop study. By comparison and integration of multiple genomes under the guidance of pan-genome theory, we can estimate the genomic information range of a species, leading to a global understanding of its genetic diversity.

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Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) is an important legume crop cultivated in over 30 countries worldwide. We developed a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of adzuki bean cultivar Jingnong6 by combining PacBio Sequel long-read sequencing with short-read and Hi-C technologies. The assembled genome covers 97.

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Stop codon readthrough (SCR) has important biological implications but remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we identify 1,009 SCR events in plants using a proteogenomic strategy. Plant SCR candidates tend to have shorter transcript lengths and fewer exons and splice variants than non-SCR transcripts.

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Article Synopsis
  • Soybean crops require molybdenum (Mo) for optimal yield, but the genetic factors affecting Mo levels in soybeans are not well understood.
  • A genome-wide association study identified two genes, GmMOT1.1 and GmMOT1.2, which influence Mo concentration and enhance soybean yield, particularly in acidic soils.
  • These genes improve soybean growth by increasing the synthesis of auxin (a plant hormone), rather than by aiding in nitrogen fixation, highlighting their potential role in breeding strategies.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Centromere repositioning is when new centromeres form at different spots on chromosomes without any rearrangement of the DNA sequence, and this has been observed in various species, including mammals and plants, playing a role in genome evolution and speciation.
  • - A study of the soybean genome, using data from 27 different accessions, found two new centromere satellites on chromosome 1 and significant changes in centromere structures across various accessions, indicating high rates of repositioning on 14 out of 20 chromosomes.
  • - By crossing two soybean accessions with different centromere positions, researchers discovered that the centromeres in the hybrids often changed in size and position, with a trend towards locating near satellite regions
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Soyasaponins are major small molecules that accumulate in soybean (Glycine max) seeds. Among them, type-A soyasaponins, fully acetylated at the terminal sugar of their C22 sugar chain, are responsible for the bitter taste of soybean-derived foods. However, the molecular basis for the acetylation of type-A soyasaponins remains unclear.

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In eukaryotic cells, 3D genome plays an important role in the regulation of gene spatiotemporal expression, which is essential for the biological and developmental processes in a life cycle. In the past decade, the development of high-throughput technologies greatly enhances our ability to map the 3D genome organization, identifies multiple 3D genome structures, and investigates the functional role of 3D genome organization in gene regulation, which facilitates our understandings of -regulatory landscape and biological development. Comparing with the comprehensive analyses of 3D genome in mammals and model plants, the progress in soybean is much less.

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Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) provides much of the N utilized by leguminous plants throughout growth and development. Legumes may simultaneously establish symbiosis with different taxa of microbial symbionts. Yet, the mechanisms used to steer associations toward symbionts that are most propitious across variations in soil types remain mysterious.

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The rhizosphere microbiota plays a critical and crucial role in plant health and growth, assisting plants in resisting adverse stresses, including soil salinity. Plastic film mulching is an important method to adjust soil properties and improve crop yield, especially in saline-alkali soil. However, it remains unclear whether and to what extent the association between these improvements and rhizosphere microbiota exists.

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Tocopherols (vitamin E) play essential roles in human health because of their antioxidant activity, and plant-derived oils are the richest sources of tocopherols in the human diet. Although soybean (Glycine max) is one of the main sources of plant-derived oil and tocopherol in the world, the relationship between tocopherol and oil in soybean seeds remains unclear. Here, we focus on dissecting tocopherol metabolism with the long-term goal of increasing α-tocopherol content and soybean oil quality.

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Background: High-order chromatin structure plays important roles in gene regulation. However, the diversity of the three-dimensional (3D) genome across plant accessions are seldom reported.

Results: Here, we perform the pan-3D genome analysis using Hi-C sequencing data from 27 soybean accessions and comprehensively investigate the relationships between 3D genomic variations and structural variations (SVs) as well as gene expression.

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