Soybean miR159-GmMYB33 Regulatory Network Involved in Gibberellin-Modulated Resistance to Heterodera glycines

Abstract

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) is an obligate sedentary biotroph that poses major threats to soybean production globally. Recently, multiple miRNAome studies revealed that miRNAs participate in complicated soybean-SCN interactions by regulating their target genes. However, the functional roles of miRNA and target genes regulatory network are still poorly understood. In present study, we firstly investigated the expression patterns of miR159 and targeted GmMYB33 genes. The results showed miR159-3p downregulation during SCN infection; conversely, GmMYB33 genes upregulated. Furthermore, miR159 overexpressing and silencing soybean hairy roots exhibited strong resistance and susceptibility to H. glycines, respectively. In particular, miR159-GAMYB genes are reported to be involve in GA signaling and metabolism. Therefore, we then investigated the effects of GA application on the expression of miR159-GAMYB module and the development of H. glycines. We found that GA directly controls the miR159-GAMYB module, and exogenous GA application enhanced endogenous biologically active GA1 and GA3, the abundance of miR159, lowered the expression of GmMYB33 genes and delayed the development of H. glycines. Moreover, SCN infection also results in endogenous GA content decreased in soybean roots. In summary, the soybean miR159-GmMYB33 module was directly involved in the GA-modulated soybean resistance to H. glycines.

Interactions of Gibberellins with Phytohormones and Their Role in Stress Responses

“…Studies performed in rice showed a worsening of symptoms caused by Magnaporthe oryzae [180] and Meloidogyne graminicola due to the antagonistic GA-JA crosstalk [181]. However, the exogenous application of GAs seems to improve the resistance of soybean plants to the soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) [182]. GAs restrain JA-related defense responses, thus shifting the balance between JA and salicylic acid, resulting in the enhancement of salicylic acid signaling and biotroph resistance [183,184].…”

The Genetic and Hormonal Inducers of Continuous Flowering in Orchids: An Emerging View

“…Application of GA degrades the DELLA protein, causing the increase in miR159 level [ 133 , 134 , 135 ]. The role of flowering time manipulation by the miR159-MYB module has been documented in A. thaliana [ 136 ] and radish [ 132 ]. In radish, miR159 targets two MYB genes, MYB65 and MYB101.…”

Using the Knowledge of Post-transcriptional Regulations to Guide Gene Selections for Molecular Breeding in Soybean

“…Such a property opens the door to siRNA manipulation in soybean molecular breeding for desired traits. In soybean, studies have shown that ncRNAs, including lncRNAs, miRNAs, and siRNAs, modulate gene expressions by regulating transcript levels in response to stresses, growth, and nutrient acquisition of the plant roots ( Pan et al, 2016 ; Sun et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ; Fan et al, 2021 ; Lei et al, 2021 ; Niu et al, 2021 ). Examples will be discussed below.…”

“…Among the members of the miR159 family, the mature miR159-3p was found to be abundant in plants ( Millar et al, 2019 ). In a study of miR159-3p using transgenic soybean hairy roots, it was found that the overexpression of pre-miR159a could improve the resistance to cyst nematodes ( Lei et al, 2021 ). Using psRNATarget, GAMYB genes were predicted to be the targets of miR159-3p ( Lei et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In a study of miR159-3p using transgenic soybean hairy roots, it was found that the overexpression of pre-miR159a could improve the resistance to cyst nematodes ( Lei et al, 2021 ). Using psRNATarget, GAMYB genes were predicted to be the targets of miR159-3p ( Lei et al, 2021 ). By 5’RACE, six GAMYB genes, Glyma.04G125700 , Glyma.06G312900 , Glyma.13G073400 , Glyma.13G187500 , Glyma.15G225300 , and Glyma.20G047600 , which encode GmMYB33c , GmMYB33d , GmMYB33b , GmMYB33e , GmMYB33f , GmMYB33a , respectively, were shown to be the cleavage targets of miR159-3p ( Lei et al, 2021 ).…”