J Integr Plant Biol ›› 2025, Vol. 67 ›› Issue (9): 2401-2415.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13952

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  • 收稿日期:2025-04-14 接受日期:2025-05-25 出版日期:2025-09-01 发布日期:2025-09-02

GmGASA12 coordinates hormonal dynamics to enhance soybean water-soluble protein accumulation and seed size

Yuming Yang1,2, Lina Zhang1, Huifang Zuo1, Yifei Yang1, Dandan Hu1, Shanshan Zhang1, Wenjie Yuan3, Xuhao Zhai1, Mengshi He1, Mengjun Xu1, Jinshe Wang4, Weiguo Lu4, Dezhou Hu5, Deyue Yu5, Fang Huang5* and Dan Zhang1*   

  1. 1. Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
    2. School of Agriculture, Modern Biological Breeding Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province, Henan Crop Genome Editing Engineering Technology Research Center, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China
    3. College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466000, China
    4. Zhengzhou National Subcenter for Soybean Improvement, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, China
    5. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, National Center for Soybean Improvement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

    *Correspondences: Fang Huang (fhuang@njau.edu.cn); Dan Zhang (zhangd@henau.edu.cn, Dr. Zhang is fully responsible for the distribution of all materials associated with this article)
  • Received:2025-04-14 Accepted:2025-05-25 Online:2025-09-01 Published:2025-09-02
  • Supported by:
    The work was supported by the STI 2030‐Major Projects (2023ZD04069), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32201867 and 32272171), and Key Scientific Research Projects of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province (24A210004), and the Outstanding Youth Science Fund of Henan Province (242300421031) and partly supported by the open funds of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization (ZW202402).

Abstract: Water-soluble protein (WSP) content determines soybean nutritional value and processing efficiency, yet its genetic and molecular regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we identified Glycine max gibberellic acid-stimulated Arabidopsis 12 (GmGASA12), encoding a gibberellin-regulated protein, as a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) governing WSP, through genome-wide association studies across five environments. Knockout of GmGASA12 resulted in 28.7% higher WSP content, 27.6% enlarged seed cells, and 20% yield increase, while overexpression suppressed these traits. Hormonal profiling revealed that GmGASA12 knockout elevates gibberellin, auxin, and abscisic acid but reduces cytokinin, driving cell expansion and protein body accumulation. GmGASA12 cooperatively regulates the biosynthesis of β-conglycinin and glycinin, the core storage proteins in soybean seeds, through its interaction with GmCG-6. Transcriptomics linked GmGASA12 to nitrogen metabolism and hormone signaling, with knockout upregulating amino acid transporters (GmAAP3/6/27) and storage protein genes (GmCG-1–6). Evolutionary analyses demonstrated strong selection for elite GmGASA12 haplotypes during domestication, with 94% of cultivars harboring favorable alleles. Our findings establish GmGASA12 as a molecular hub integrating hormonal dynamics and protein interaction to enhance soybean quality and yield, offering a pivotal target for breeding nutrient-dense varieties.

Key words: gibberellin signaling, protein interaction, seed quality, soybean domestication, water‐soluble protein

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