title: Metabolic engineering to increase isoflavone biosynthesis in soybean seed.
abstract: Isoflavone levels in Glycine max (soybean) were increased via metabolic engineering of the complex phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway. Phenylpropanoid pathway genes were activated by expression of the maize C1 and R transcription factors in soybean seed, which decreased genistein and increased the daidzein levels with a small overall increase in total isoflavone levels. Cosuppression of flavanone 3-hydroxylase to block the anthocyanin branch of the pathway, in conjunction with C1/R expression, resulted in higher levels of isoflavones. The combination of transcription factor-driven gene activation and suppression of a competing pathway provided a successful means of enhancing accumulation of isoflavones in soybean seed.
authors.affiliation: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc., Crop Genetics, Experimental Station, PO Box 80402, Wilmington, DE 19880-0402, USA.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Aideen O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Hession
authors.forename: Carl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McGonigle
authors.forename: Joan T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Odell
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000378:metabolism*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010641:Phenotype; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013025:Glycine max / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; D014157:Transcription Factors