IFS-edited hairy roots in soybean
Soybean is one of the legumes that accumulate the most isoflavones. Because isoflavones have been shown to have beneficial effects in humans, such as mimicking female hormones, research has been carried out to increase their levels. However, in recent years the demand for soy as a raw material for plant-based meat has increased and there is concern that excessive isoflavone intake may be counterintuitive. 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase (IFS) is essential for isoflavone biosynthesis. To date, soybeans lacking IFS have not been produced. This also means that the role of isoflavones in soy is not fully understood. Therefore, in the present study, IFS-edited soybean hairy roots were produced using CRISPR/SaCas9 and the expression variation of different genes was investigated.