Knockdown of GmD53a confers strigolactones mediated rhizobia interaction and promotes nodulation in soybean

Naveed Rehman; Fahim Ullah Khan; Muhammad Imran; Shahid Ali Rajput; Yiming Li; Ihteram Ullah; Rana Waseem Akhtar; Muhammad Imran; Arwa Abdulkreem Al-Huqail; Ahmad El Askary; Amany Salah Khalifa; Muhammad Tehseen Azhar

doi:10.7717/peerj.12815

Knockdown of GmD53a confers strigolactones mediated rhizobia interaction and promotes nodulation in soybean

PeerJ. 2022 Jan 20:10:e12815. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12815. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Agriculture, Hazara University, Dodhial, Mansehra, Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
³ Department of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
⁴ Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Clinical Pathology and Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
¹⁰ School of Agriculture Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Strigolactones (SLs) play a key role in modulating plant root growth, shoot branching, and plant-symbiont interaction. However, despite their significance, the components of SL biosynthesis and signaling in soybean and their role in soybean-rhizobia interaction is unknown.

Methods: In this study, we identified and functionally characterized the GmD53a from soybean. The GmD53a ORFs were amplified from root cDNA using primers for GmD53a RNA interference. To induce transgenic hairy roots of soybean, electric shock was used to transform pB7WG1WG2 vectors containing GmD53a knockdown and GUS into K599 strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The hairy roots and nodules were collected and examined for root nodules ratio and RNA was extracted after 4 weeks of rhizobia inoculation.

Results: A tissue-specific expression assay showed that GmD53a was differentially expressed in plant parts, predominantly in the stem and nodule. Furthermore, its expression was significantly up-regulated during rhizobia infection and varied with nodule formation. The GmD53a-knockdown chimerical plants were produced to further check its role in soybean nodulation in comparison with control GUS. In knockdown lines, the GmD53a (suppressor of strigolactone MAX2) has a higher number of nodules compared to control lines. Furthermore, the expression levels of several nodulation genes essential for initiation and formation of nodules were altered in GmD53a-knockdown lines.

Conclusion: The results revealed that SL biosynthesis and signaling are not conserved but also have close interaction between SL and legume rhizobia.

Keywords: Biotic factor; Food security; GmD53a; Nitrogen fixation; Rhizobia positive interaction; Signaling; Soybean nodulation; Strigolactone; Sustainability; Symbiotic.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Glycine max* / genetics
Plant Proteins / genetics
Plant Root Nodulation / genetics
Rhizobium* / genetics

Substances

GR24 strigolactone
Plant Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/123), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.