Natural variation of GmFNSII-2 contributes to drought resistance by modulating enzyme activity in soybean
Huihui Gao,
Pengcheng Wei,
Yongzhe Gu,
Pengbin Tang,
Yifan Shen,
Lei Yang,
Linxin Dong,
Haowei Zheng,
Kuo Shu,
Mayamiko Masangano,
Bin Dong,
Long Miao,
Jiajia Li,
Lijuan Qiu,
Xiaobo Wang
Affiliations
Huihui Gao
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Pengcheng Wei
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Yongzhe Gu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resource and Germplasm Enhancement (MOA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Pengbin Tang
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Yifan Shen
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Lei Yang
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Linxin Dong
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Haowei Zheng
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Kuo Shu
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Mayamiko Masangano
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Bin Dong
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Long Miao
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Jiajia Li
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
Lijuan Qiu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resource and Germplasm Enhancement (MOA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Corresponding authors.
Xiaobo Wang
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China; Corresponding authors.
As an essential crop that provides vegetable oil and protein, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is widely planted all over the world. However, the scarcity of water resources worldwide has seriously impacted on the quality and yield of soybean. To address this, exploring excellent genes for improving drought resistance in soybean is crucial. In this study, we identified natural variations of GmFNSII-2 (flavone synthase II) significantly affect the drought resistance of soybeans. Through sequence analysis of GmFNSII-2 in 632 cultivated and 44 wild soybeans nine haplotypes were identified. The full-length allele GmFNSII-2C, but not the truncated allele GmFNSII-2A possessing a nonsense nucleotide variation, increased enzyme activity. Further research found that GmDREB3, known to increase soybean drought resistance, bound to the promoter region of GmFNSII-2C. GmDREB3 positively regulated the expression of GmFNSII-2C, increased flavone synthase abundance and improved the drought resistance. Furthermore, a single-base mutation in the GmFNSII-2C promoter generated an additional drought response element (CCCCT), which had stronger interaction strength with GmDREB3 and increased its transcriptional activity under drought conditions. The frequency of drought-resistant soybean varieties with Hap 1 (Pro:GmFNSII-2C) has increased, suggesting that this haplotype may be selected during soybean breeding. In summary, GmFNSII-2C could be used for molecular breeding of drought-tolerant soybean.
