Zhang Fengyi, Zhou Runnan, Yuan Rongqiang, Zhu Xiao, Zhang Xinyue, Lamlom Sobhi F, Shi Dai, Abdelghany Ahmed M, Du Jidao, Ren Honglei, Qiu Lijuan
Crop Germplasm Resource Innovation Laboratory, Agricultural College, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China.
Soybean Research Institute of Heilongjiang Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Harbin, China.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 10;20(9):e0332271. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332271. eCollection 2025.
Shade stress alters soybean growth through transcriptomic changes and adaptive responses that optimize light capture and utilization, regulated by a phytohormonal network. This study examined the physiological, morphological, and molecular responses of Guru (shade-tolerant) and Heinong 53 (shade-sensitive) soybean cultivars under 0% (control), 30%, and 70% shade. Results revealed morphological responses where Heinong 53 exhibited greater plant height (52.8 cm) compared to Guru (45.2 cm) under 30% shade. However, physiological responses favored Guru, with higher chlorophyll content under both 30% shade (2.8 mg/g vs 2.1 mg/g) and 70% shade (2.5 mg/g vs 1.6 mg/g). Guru also demonstrated superior photosynthetic performance, with higher net photosynthetic rates under control conditions (18.5 vs 15.2 µmol CO₂/m2/s) and under 70% shade (12.4 vs 8.7 µmol CO₂/m2/s). Transcriptome analysis identified 2,596 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across nine comparison groups, with 279 up-regulated and 388 down-regulated genes common across shade treatments. Significant DEGs were associated with shade avoidance (GO:0009641), programmed cell death (GO:0012501), and shoot development (GO:0010223). Key molecular functions included histone deacetylase activity and calcium-dependent protein kinase (GO:0009931). Gene-trait correlations revealed 37 up-regulated DEGs positively correlated with photosynthesis-related metrics, while 28 were negatively correlated with transpiration rate. Additionally, 12 DEGs positively correlated with plant height, and 6 down-regulated DEGs negatively correlated with photosynthetic characteristics. Overall, the cultivar Guru exhibited effective resource allocation, maintained robust photosynthetic activity, and displayed consistent gene expression patterns under shade stress, revealing key mechanisms of soybean shade tolerance. These findings advance the development of shade-resilient soybean cultivars and offer strategies to enhance crop productivity in low-light environments.
遮荫胁迫通过转录组变化和适应性反应改变大豆生长，这些反应优化了光捕获和利用，并受植物激素网络调控。本研究考察了Guru（耐荫）和黑农53（对遮荫敏感）大豆品种在0%（对照）、30%和70%遮荫条件下的生理、形态和分子反应。结果显示了形态学反应，在30%遮荫条件下，黑农53的株高（52.8厘米）高于Guru（45.2厘米）。然而，生理反应有利于Guru，在30%遮荫（2.8毫克/克对2.1毫克/克）和70%遮荫（2.5毫克/克对1.6毫克/克）条件下，其叶绿素含量均更高。Guru还表现出卓越的光合性能，在对照条件下（18.5对15.2微摩尔二氧化碳/平方米/秒）和70%遮荫条件下（12.4对8.7微摩尔二氧化碳/平方米/秒）净光合速率更高。转录组分析在九个比较组中鉴定出2596个差异表达基因（DEG），在遮荫处理中共有279个上调基因和388个下调基因。显著的DEG与避荫（GO:0009641）、程序性细胞死亡（GO:0012501）和地上部发育（GO:0010223）相关。关键分子功能包括组蛋白脱乙酰酶活性和钙依赖性蛋白激酶（GO:0009931）。基因-性状相关性显示，37个上调的DEG与光合作用相关指标呈正相关，而28个与蒸腾速率呈负相关。此外，12个DEG与株高呈正相关，6个下调的DEG与光合特性呈负相关。总体而言，Guru品种在遮荫胁迫下表现出有效的资源分配，维持了强大的光合活性，并呈现出一致的基因表达模式，揭示了大豆耐荫性的关键机制。这些发现推动了耐荫大豆品种的培育，并为提高弱光环境下作物生产力提供了策略。
