Zhou Runnan, Wang Sihui, Li Jianwei, Yang Mingliang, Liu Chunyan, Qi Zhaoming, Xu Chang, Wu Xiaoxia, Chen Qingshan, Zhao Ying
National Key Laboratory of Smart Farm Technologies and Systems, College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China.
College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China.
Plant Cell Environ. 2024 Nov 1. doi: 10.1111/pce.15250.
Soybeans are an economically vital food crop, which is employed as a key source of oil and plant protein globally. This study identified an EREBP-type transcription factor, GmESR1 (Enhance of Shot Regeneration). GmESR1 overexpression has been observed to significantly increase seed protein content. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism by which GmESR1 affects protein accumulation through transcriptome and metabolomics was also identified. The transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses identified 95 differentially expressed genes and 83 differentially abundant metabolites during the seed mid-maturity stage. Co-analysis strategies revealed that GmESR1 overexpression inhibited the biosynthesis of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin via the phenylpropane biosynthetic pathway, thereby redistributing biomass within cells. The key genes and metabolites impacted by this biochemical process included Gm4CL-like, GmCCR, Syringin, and Coniferin. Moreover, it was also found that GmESR1 binds to (AATATTATCATTAAGTACGGAC) during seed development and inhibits the transcription of GmCCR. GmESR1 overexpression also enhanced sucrose transporter gene expression during seed development and increased the sucrose transport rate. These results offer new insight into the molecular mechanisms whereby GmESR1 increases protein levels within soybean seeds, guiding future molecular-assisted breeding efforts aimed at establishing high-protein soybean varieties.
大豆是一种具有重要经济价值的粮食作物，是全球食用油和植物蛋白的主要来源。本研究鉴定了一种EREBP型转录因子GmESR1（增强芽再生）。已观察到GmESR1过表达可显著提高种子蛋白含量。此外，还确定了GmESR1通过转录组学和代谢组学影响蛋白质积累的分子机制。转录组学和代谢组学分析确定了种子中成熟阶段的95个差异表达基因和83种差异丰富的代谢物。联合分析策略表明，GmESR1过表达通过苯丙烷生物合成途径抑制木质素、纤维素、半纤维素和果胶的生物合成，从而在细胞内重新分配生物量。受这一生化过程影响的关键基因和代谢物包括Gm4CL-like、GmCCR、丁香苷和松柏苷。此外，还发现GmESR1在种子发育过程中与（AATATTATCATTAAGTACGGAC）结合并抑制GmCCR的转录。GmESR1过表达还增强了种子发育过程中蔗糖转运蛋白基因的表达并提高了蔗糖转运速率。这些结果为GmESR1提高大豆种子蛋白质水平的分子机制提供了新的见解，为未来旨在培育高蛋白大豆品种的分子辅助育种工作提供了指导。
