title: The acid phosphatase-encoding gene GmACP1 contributes to soybean tolerance to low-phosphorus stress.
abstract: Phosphorus (P) is essential for all living cells and organisms, and low-P stress is a major factor constraining plant growth and yield worldwide. In plants, P efficiency is a complex quantitative trait involving multiple genes, and the mechanisms underlying P efficiency are largely unknown. Combining linkage analysis, genome-wide and candidate-gene association analyses, and plant transformation, we identified a soybean gene related to P efficiency, determined its favorable haplotypes and developed valuable functional markers. First, six major genomic regions associated with P efficiency were detected by performing genome-wide associations (GWAs) in various environments. A highly significant region located on chromosome 8, qPE8, was identified by both GWAs and linkage mapping and explained 41% of the phenotypic variation. Then, a regional mapping study was performed with 40 surrounding markers in 192 diverse soybean accessions. A strongly associated haplotype (P = 10(-7)) consisting of the markers Sat_233 and BARC-039899-07603 was identified, and qPE8 was located in a region of approximately 250 kb, which contained a candidate gene GmACP1 that encoded an acid phosphatase. GmACP1 overexpression in soybean hairy roots increased P efficiency by 11-20% relative to the control. A candidate-gene association analysis indicated that six natural GmACP1 polymorphisms explained 33% of the phenotypic variation. The favorable alleles and haplotypes of GmACP1 associated with increased transcript expression correlated with higher enzyme activity. The discovery of the optimal haplotype of GmACP1 will now enable the accurate selection of soybeans with higher P efficiencies and improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying P efficiency in plants.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China ; Department of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Haina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Derong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Guizhen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hangxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China ; National Center of Plant Gene Research (Shanghai), Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Deyue
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006239:Haplotypes; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D000135:Acid Phosphatase