GmSTF accumulation mediated by DELLA protein GmRGAs contributes to coordinating light and gibberellin signaling to reduce plant height in soybean
Zhuang Li,
Qichao Tu,
Xiangguang Lyu,
Qican Cheng,
Ronghuan Ji,
Chao Qin,
Jun Liu,
Bin Liu,
Hongyu Li,
Tao Zhao
Affiliations
Zhuang Li
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Qichao Tu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xiangguang Lyu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Qican Cheng
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Ronghuan Ji
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Chao Qin
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jun Liu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Bin Liu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Hongyu Li
Corresponding authors.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Tao Zhao
Corresponding authors.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Plant height influences plant architecture, lodging resistance, and yield performance. It is modulated by gibberellic acid (GA) metabolism and signaling. DELLA proteins, acting as central repressors of GA signaling, integrate various environmental and hormonal signals to regulate plant growth and development in Arabidopsis. We examined the role of two DELLA proteins, GmRGAa and GmRGAb, in soybean plant height control. Knockout of these proteins led to longer internodes and increased plant height, primarily by increasing cell elongation. GmRGAs functioned under different light conditions, including red, blue, and far-red light, to repress plant height. Interaction studies revealed that GmRGAs interacted with the blue light receptor GmCRY1b. Consistent with this, GmCRY1b partially regulated plant height via GmRGAs. Additionally, DELLA proteins were found to stabilize the protein GmSTF1/2, a key positive regulator of photomorphogenesis. This stabilization led to increased transcription of GmGA2ox-7b and subsequent reduction in plant height. This study enhances our understanding of DELLA-mediated plant height control, offering Gmrgaab mutants for soybean structure and yield optimization.
