Key Soybean Seedlings Drought-Responsive Genes and Pathways Revealed by Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of Two Cultivars.

Seedling drought stress is one of the most important constraints affecting soybean yield and quality. To unravel the molecular mechanisms under soybean drought tolerance, we conducted comprehensive comparative transcriptome analyses of drought-tolerant genotype Jindou 21 (JD) and drought-sensitive genotype Tianlong No.1 (N1) seedlings that had been exposed to drought treatment.

A functionally divergent SOC1 homolog improves soybean yield and latitudinal adaptation.

Soybean (Glycine max) grows in a wide range of latitudes, but it is extremely sensitive to photoperiod, which reduces its yield and ability to adapt to different environments. Therefore, understanding of the genetic basis of soybean adaptation is of great significance for breeding and improvement. Here, we characterized Tof18 (SOC1a) that conditions early flowering and growth habit under both short-day and long-day conditions.

Discovery and characterization of differentially expressed soybean miRNAs and their targets during soybean mosaic virus infection unveils novel insight into Soybean-SMV interaction.

Background: Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is one of the most devastating pathogens of soybean. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs (21-24 nucleotides) which are endogenously produced by the plant host as part of a general gene expression regulatory mechanisms, but also play roles in regulating plant defense against pathogens. However, miRNA-mediated plant response to SMV in soybean is not as well documented.

Comprehensive Genomic Survey, Evolution, and Expression Analysis of GIF Gene Family during the Development and Metal Ion Stress Responses in Soybean.

The GIF gene family is one of the plant transcription factors specific to seed plants. The family members are expressed in all lateral organs produced by apical and floral meristems and contribute to the development of leaves, shoots, flowers, and seeds. This study identified eight GIF genes in the soybean genome and clustered them into three groups.

Combining Fine Mapping, Whole-Genome Re-Sequencing, and RNA-Seq Unravels Candidate Genes for a Soybean Mutant with Short Petioles and Weakened Pulvini.

A short petiole is an important agronomic trait for the development of plant ideotypes with high yields. However, the genetic basis underlying this trait remains unclear. Here, we identified and characterized a novel soybean mutant with short petioles and weakened pulvini, designated as ().

HY5: A Pivotal Regulator of Light-Dependent Development in Higher Plants.

ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5), a bZIP-type transcription factor, acts as a master regulator that regulates various physiological and biological processes in plants such as photomorphogenesis, root growth, flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation, nutrient acquisition, and response to abiotic stresses. HY5 is evolutionally conserved in function among various plant species. HY5 acts as a master regulator of light-mediated transcriptional regulatory hub that directly or indirectly controls the transcription of approximately one-third of genes at the whole genome level.

Ectopic expression of GmRNF1a encoding a soybean E3 ubiquitin ligase affects Arabidopsis silique development and dehiscence.

A soybean E3 ubiquitin ligase, GmRNF1a, may affect pod dehiscence and seed development through MADS family genes. These results would be useful for the study of soybean pod and seed development. Pod dehiscence is one of the critical causes of yield loss in cultivated soybeans, and it is of great significance to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying pod dehiscence in soybeans.

Genetic Architecture and Candidate Genes for Pubescence Length and Density and Its Relationship With Resistance to Common Cutworm in Soybean.

Soybean pubescence plays an important role in insect resistance, drought tolerance, and other stresses. Hence, a deep understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying pubescence is a prerequisite to a deeper understanding of insect resistance and drought tolerance. In the present study, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of pubescence traits was performed using a high-density inter-specific linkage map of one recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, designated NJRINP.

The Importance of Nitric Oxide as the Molecular Basis of the Hydrogen Gas Fumigation-Induced Alleviation of Cd Stress on .

Whether or not hydrogen gas (H) can reduce cadmium (Cd) toxicity in has remained largely unknown. Here, we report that Cd-induced growth inhibition in was significantly alleviated by H fumigation or hydrogen-rich water (HRW), evaluated by lower oxidative damage and Cd accumulation. Moreover, the amelioration effects of H fumigation were better than of HRW in an optimum concentration of H under our experimental conditions.

Characterization of Root System Architecture Traits in Diverse Soybean Genotypes Using a Semi-Hydroponic System.

Phenotypic variation and correlations among root traits form the basis for selecting and breeding soybean varieties with efficient access to water and nutrients and better adaptation to abiotic stresses. Therefore, it is important to develop a simple and consistent system to study root traits in soybean. In this study, we adopted the semi-hydroponic system to investigate the variability in root morphological traits of 171 soybean genotypes popularized in the Yangtze and Huaihe River regions, eastern China.

Identification of an ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Implicated in Aluminum Tolerance in Wild Soybean ().

The toxicity of aluminum (Al) in acidic soil limits global crop yield. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter-like gene superfamily has functions and structures related to transportation, so it responds to aluminum stress in plants. In this study, one half-size ABC transporter gene was isolated from wild soybeans () and designated .

A missense mutation in WRKY32 converts its function from a positive regulator to a repressor of photomorphogenesis.

CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1) mediates various cellular and physiological processes in plants by targeting a large number of substrates for ubiquitination and degradation. In this study, we reveal that a substitution of Pro for Leu at amino acid position 409 in WRKY32 largely suppresses the short hypocotyls and expanded cotyledon phenotypes of cop1-6. WRKY32 promotes hypocotyl growth and inhibits the opening of cotyledons in Arabidopsis.

Optimizing RNAi-Target by -Soybean Mosaic Virus System Drives Broad Resistance to Soybean Mosaic Virus in Soybean.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is a prevalent pathogen of soybean (). Pyramiding multiple SMV-resistance genes into one individual is tedious and difficult, and even if successful, the obtained multiple resistance might be broken by pathogen mutation, while targeting viral genome host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) has potential to explore broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) to SMV. We identified five conserved target fragments (CTFs) from to using multiple sequence alignment of 30 SMV genome sequences and assembled the corresponding target-inverted-repeat constructs (TIRs) from S1-TIR to S5-TIR.

Genome-wide characterization and functional analysis of class III peroxidase gene family in soybean reveal regulatory roles of GsPOD40 in drought tolerance.

Class III peroxidases (PODs) are plant-specific glycoproteins, that play essential roles in various plant physiological processes and defence responses. To date, scarce information is available about the POD gene family in soybean. Hence, the present study is the first comprehensive report about the genome-wide characterization of GmPOD gene family in soybean (Glycine max L.

The legume-specific transcription factor E1 controls leaf morphology in soybean.

Background: The leaf is a determinate organ essential for photosynthesis, whose size and shape determine plant architecture and strongly affect agronomic traits. In soybean, the molecular mechanism of leaf development is not well understood. The flowering repressor gene E1, which encodes a legume-specific B3-like protein, is known to be the gene with the largest influence on soybean flowering and maturity.

Two TGA Transcription Factor Members from Hyper-Susceptible Soybean Exhibiting Significant Basal Resistance to .

TGA transcription factors (TFs) exhibit basal resistance in , but susceptibility to a pathogen attack in tomatoes; however, their roles in soybean () to (SMV) are unknown. In this study, 27 genes were isolated from a SMV hyper-susceptible soybean , designated ~, which were clustered into seven phylogenetic groups. The expression profiles of showed that the highly expressed genes were mainly in Groups I, II, and VII under non-induction conditions, while out of the 27 , 19 responded to SMV-induction.

Cyanobacteria derived compounds: Emerging drugs for cancer management.

The wide diversity of cyanobacterial species and their role in a variety of biological activities have been reported in the previous few years. Cyanobacteria, especially from marine sources, constitutes a major source of biologically active metabolites that have gained great attention especially due to their anticancer potential. Numerous chemically diverse metabolites from various cyanobacterial species have been recognized to inhibit the growth and progression of tumor cells through the induction of apoptosis in many different types of cancers.

Features and applications of haplotypes in crop breeding.

Climate change with altered pest-disease dynamics and rising abiotic stresses threatens resource-constrained agricultural production systems worldwide. Genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) approaches have greatly contributed to enhancing crop breeding efficiency and delivering better varieties. Fast-growing capacity and affordability of DNA sequencing has motivated large-scale germplasm sequencing projects, thus opening exciting avenues for mining haplotypes for breeding applications.

Parallel selection of distinct Tof5 alleles drove the adaptation of cultivated and wild soybean to high latitudes.

Photoperiod responsiveness is a key factor limiting the geographic distribution of cultivated soybean and its wild ancestor. In particular, the genetic basis of the adaptation in wild soybean remains poorly understood. In this study, by combining whole-genome resequencing and genome-wide association studies we identified a novel locus, Time of Flowering 5 (Tof5), which promotes flowering and enhances adaptation to high latitudes in both wild and cultivated soybean.

Growth period QTL-allele constitution of global soybeans and its differential evolution changes in geographic adaptation versus maturity group extension.

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has been disseminated globally as a photoperiod/temperature-sensitive crop with extremely diverse days to flowering (DTF) and days to maturity (DTM) values.

Genome-Wide Association Study to Map Genomic Regions Related to the Initiation Time of Four Growth Stage Traits in Soybean.

The time to flowering (DF), pod beginning (DPB), seed formation (DSF), and maturity initiation (DMI) in soybean ( [L.] Merr) are important characteristics of growth stage traits (GSTs) in Chinese summer-sowing soybean, and are influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. To better understand the molecular mechanism underlying the initiation times of GSTs, we investigated four GSTs of 309 diverse soybean accessions in six different environments and Best Linear Unbiased Prediction values.

Transcription Factor Enhanced Phosphate Starvation Tolerance and Root Development in Transgenic Plants.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients, whose deficiency limits the growth and development of plants. In this study, we investigated the possible role of in the phosphate (Pi) starvation stress tolerance of soybean. GmWRKY46 belonged to the group III subfamily of the WRKY transcription factor family, which was localized in the nucleus and had transcriptional activator activity.