Overexpression of Terpenoid Biosynthesis Genes From Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) Modulates Rhizobia Interaction and Nodulation in Soybean

Mohammed Ali; Long Miao; Qiuqiang Hou; Doaa B Darwish; Salma Saleh Alrdahe; Ahmed Ali; Vagner A Benedito; Million Tadege; Xiaobo Wang; Jian Zhao

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.783269

Overexpression of Terpenoid Biosynthesis Genes From Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) Modulates Rhizobia Interaction and Nodulation in Soybean

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Dec 23:12:783269. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.783269. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Mohammed Ali¹, Long Miao², Qiuqiang Hou³, Doaa B Darwish⁴, Salma Saleh Alrdahe⁴, Ahmed Ali⁵, Vagner A Benedito⁶, Million Tadege⁷, Xiaobo Wang², Jian Zhao⁸

Affiliations

¹ Egyptian Deserts Gene Bank, North Sinai Research Station, Department of Genetic Resources, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
² College of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.
³ National Key Lab of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
⁴ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Plant Agricultural, Faculty of Agriculture Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁶ Plant and Soil Sciences Division, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States.
⁷ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Institute for Agricultural Biosciences, Oklahoma State University, Ardmore, OK, United States.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, College of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.

Abstract

In legumes, many endogenous and environmental factors affect root nodule formation through several key genes, and the regulation details of the nodulation signaling pathway are yet to be fully understood. This study investigated the potential roles of terpenoids and terpene biosynthesis genes on root nodule formation in Glycine max. We characterized six terpenoid synthesis genes from Salvia officinalis by overexpressing SoTPS6, SoNEOD, SoLINS, SoSABS, SoGPS, and SoCINS in soybean hairy roots and evaluating root growth and nodulation, and the expression of strigolactone (SL) biosynthesis and early nodulation genes. Interestingly, overexpression of some of the terpenoid and terpene genes increased nodule numbers, nodule and root fresh weight, and root length, while others inhibited these phenotypes. These results suggest the potential effects of terpenoids and terpene synthesis genes on soybean root growth and nodulation. This study provides novel insights into epistatic interactions between terpenoids, root development, and nodulation in soybean root biology and open new avenues for soybean research.

Keywords: Bradyrhizobium japonicum; Glycine max; root growth and nodulation; strigolactone; terpenoid synthesis gene.