Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Regulatory Networks and Hub Genes Controlling the Unsaturated Fatty Acid Contents of Developing Seed in Soybean

Frontiers in Plant Science

Yinyue Zhao¹  Liang Zhang¹  Li Hu²  Liang Dong²  Junqi Liu²  Xianzhi Wang²  Runqing Duan² 

[1] Food Crops Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China;School of Agriculture, Yunnan University, Kunming, China;

关键词: soybean;    unsaturated fatty acids;    developing seeds;    RNA-seq;    regulatory network;    WGCNA;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpls.2022.876371

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the most important crops, which produces about 25% of the world’s edible oil. The nutritional value of soybean oil depends mostly on the relative contents of three unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), i.e., oleic acid, linoleic acid (LA), and linolenic acid. However, the biosynthetic mechanism of UFAs remains largely unknown, and there are few studies on RNA-seq analysis of developing seeds. To identify the candidate genes and related pathways involved in the regulation of UFA contents during seed development in soybean, two soybean lines with different UFA profiles were selected from 314 cultivars and landraces originated from Southern China, and RNA-seq analysis was performed in soybean seeds at three developmental stages. Using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, a series of genes and pathways related to fatty acid metabolism were identified, and 40 days after flowering (DAF) was found to be the crucial period in the formation of UFA profiles. Further, weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified three modules with six genes whose functions were highly associated with the contents of oleic and LA. The detailed functional investigation of the networks and hub genes could further improve the understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism of UFA contents and might provide some ideas for the improvement in fatty acids profiles in soybean.

【 授权许可】

Unknown