MOTHER-OF-FT-AND-TFL1 regulates the seed oil and protein content in soybean

Zhandong Cai; Peiqi Xian; Yanbo Cheng; Yiwang Zhong; Yuan Yang; Qianghua Zhou; Tengxiang Lian; Qibin Ma; Hai Nian; Liangfa Ge

doi:10.1111/nph.18792

MOTHER-OF-FT-AND-TFL1 regulates the seed oil and protein content in soybean

New Phytol. 2023 Aug;239(3):905-919. doi: 10.1111/nph.18792. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Authors

Zhandong Cai^#^{1

2}, Peiqi Xian^#^{1

3}, Yanbo Cheng^#^{1

3}, Yiwang Zhong^{1

3}, Yuan Yang^{1

3}, Qianghua Zhou^{1

3}, Tengxiang Lian^{1

3}, Qibin Ma^{1

3}, Hai Nian^{1

3

4}, Liangfa Ge^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ The State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China.
² Department of Grassland Science, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China.
³ The Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding of Guangdong Province, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China.
⁴ Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 36740575
DOI: 10.1111/nph.18792

Abstract

Soybean is a major crop that produces valuable seed oil and protein for global consumption. Seed oil and protein are regulated by complex quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and have undergone intensive selections during the domestication of soybean. It is essential to identify the major genetic components and understand their mechanism behind seed oil and protein in soybean. We report that MOTHER-OF-FT-AND-TFL1 (GmMFT) is the gene of a classical QTL that has been reported to regulate seed oil and protein content in many studies. Mutation of MFT decreased seeds oil content and weight in both Arabidopsis and soybean, whereas increased expression of GmMFT enhanced seeds oil content and weight. Haplotype analysis showed that GmMFT has undergone selection, which resulted in the extended haplotype homozygosity in the cultivated soybean and the enriching of the oil-favorable allele in modern soybean cultivars. This work unraveled the GmMFT-mediated mechanism regulating seed oil and protein content and seed weight, and revealed a previously unknown function of MFT that provides new insights into targeted soybean improvement and breeding.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; fatty acids; natural variation; overexpression; seed.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
Glycine max* / genetics
Glycine max* / metabolism
Humans
Mothers*
Plant Breeding
Plant Oils / metabolism
Seeds / genetics

Substances

Plant Oils