GmAP1d regulates flowering time under long-day photoperiods in soybean
Shiyu Guo,
Yanfei Li,
Hongmei Qiu,
Guoyu Hu,
Chaosen Zhao,
Ruizhen Wang,
Hao Zhang,
Yu Tian,
Xiaoyu Li,
Bin Liu,
Ying-hui Li,
Li-juan Qiu
Affiliations
Shiyu Guo
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yanfei Li
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Key Lab of Chinese Medicine Resources Conservation, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Hongmei Qiu
Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Research Center for Soybean, Changchun 130033, Jilin, China
Guoyu Hu
Crop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China
Chaosen Zhao
Crops Research Institute of Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Oilcrops Biology, Nanchang 330200, Jiangxi, China
Ruizhen Wang
Crops Research Institute of Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Oilcrops Biology, Nanchang 330200, Jiangxi, China
Hao Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yu Tian
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xiaoyu Li
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Bin Liu
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Ying-hui Li
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Corresponding author.
Li-juan 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 Grain Crop Genetic Resources Evaluation and Utilization (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; Corresponding author.
Flowering time is important for adaptation of soybean (Glycine max) to different environments. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study of flowering time using a panel of 1490 cultivated soybean accessions. We identified three strong signals at the qFT02-2 locus (Chr02: 12037319–12238569), which were associated with flowering time in three environments: Gongzhuling, Mengcheng, and Nanchang. By analyzing linkage disequilibrium, gene expression patterns, gene annotation, and the diversity of variants, we identified an AP1 homolog as the candidate gene for the qFT02-2 locus, which we named GmAP1d. Only one nonsynonymous polymorphism existed among 1490 soybean accessions at position Chr02:12087053. Accessions carrying the Chr02:12087053-T allele flowered significantly earlier than those carrying the Chr02:12087053-A allele. Thus, we developed a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker for the SNP at Chr02:12087053, which is suitable for marker-assisted breeding of flowering time. Knockout of GmAP1d in the ‘Williams 82’ background by gene editing promoted flowering under long-day conditions, confirming that GmAP1d is the causal gene for qFT02-2. An analysis of the region surrounding GmAP1d revealed that GmAP1d was artificially selected during the genetic improvement of soybean. Through stepwise selection, the proportion of modern cultivars carrying the Chr02:12087053-T allele has increased, and this allele has become nearly fixed (95%) in northern China. These findings provide a theoretical basis for better understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of flowering time in soybean and a target gene that can be used for breeding modern soybean cultivars adapted to different latitudes.
