A retrotransposon insertion in the Mao1 promoter results in erect pubescence and higher yield in soybean

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Abstract
Adaptive changes in crops contribute to the diversity of agronomic traits, which directly or indirectly affect yield. The change of pubescence form from appressed to erect is a notable feature during soybean domestication. However, the biological significance and regulatory mechanism underlying this transformation remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a major-effect locus, PUBESCENCE FORM 1 ( PF1 ), the upstream region of Mao1 , that regulates pubescence form in soybean. The insertion of a Ty3/ Gypsy retrotransposon in PF1 can recruit the transcription factor GAGA-binding protein to a GA-rich region, which up-regulates Mao1 expression, underpinning soybean pubescence evolution. Interestingly, the proportion of improved cultivars with erect pubescence increases gradually with increasing latitude, and erect-pubescence cultivars have a higher yield possibly through a higher photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic stability. These findings open an avenue for molecular breeding through either natural introgression or genome editing toward yield improvement and productivity.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (31871708 and 32072089)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (32090064 and 31725021)
  • MOE | Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2022TC021)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A20215)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (32201795)

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