GmmiR156b overexpression delays flowering time in soybean.
Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is an important crop used for human consumption, animal feed and biodiesel fuel. Wering time and maturity significantly affect soybean grain yield. In Arabidopsis thaliana, miR156 has been proposed to regulate the transition from the juvenile to the adult phase of shoot development, which is accompanied by changes in vegetative morphology and an increase in reproductive potential. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying miR156 function in soybean flowering remain unknown. Here, we report that the overexpression of GmmiR156b delays flowering time in soybean. GmmiR156b may target SPL orthologs and negatively regulate GmSPLs, thereby delaying flowering in soybean under LD and natural conditions. GmmiR156b down-regulates several known flowering time regulators in soybean, such as GmAP1 (a, b, c), GmLFY2, GmLFY2, GmFULs, GmSOC1s, GmFT5a, and GmmiR172. These data show that a similar miR156-SPL regulatory module was conserved in the soybean flowering pathway. However, GmFULs, GmSOC1a and GmSOC1b were significantly suppressed under LD conditions but not under SD conditions, which is different in Arabidopsis that these genes were down-regulated irrespective of photoperiod. In addition, GmmiR156b was up-regulated by E1, E2 (GmGI), E3 and E4, which control flowering time and maturity in soybean, and suppressed E1 (E1-Like) and E2 (E2-Like) genes under LD conditions. These data indicated that the miR156-SPL regulatory module was also with some degree of divergent in soybean flowering pathway.
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.
Dong
D
Cao
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China.
Ying
Y
Li
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.
Jialin
J
Wang
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.
Haiyang
H
Nan
Key State Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center of Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Youning
Y
Wang
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Sijia
S
Lu
Key State Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center of Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Qiong
Q
Jiang
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Xiaoming
X
Li
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Danning
D
Shi
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Chao
C
Fang
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.
Xiaohui
X
Yuan
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Xiaohui
X
Zhao
Key State Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center of Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. xli@genetics.ac.cn.
Xia
X
Li
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China. liubh@iga.ac.cn.
Baohui
B
Liu
The Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 138 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China. kongfj@iga.ac.cn.
Fanjiang
F
Kong
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D015536:Down-Regulation; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
D035683:MicroRNAs; C559759:Mirn156 microRNA, Arabidopsis; D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D014157:Transcription Factors
Flowering time; GmmiR156b; Soybean; microRNA