The COBRA-Like9 from Glycine tabacina enhanced salt tolerance in cultivated soybean

Functional Characterization of GmRD22 Modulating Nitrogenase Activity in Soybean with Transcriptomic Comparison Between Two Genotypes

The findings suggest that GmRD22 has undergone directional selection during soybean domestication and improvement, and offer new insights into the genetic control of SNF and establish promising targets for breeding soybean varieties with improved nitrogen fixation efficiency.

The dual roles of betacyanin in salt tolerance and development in diploid potatoes

Identification and preliminary functional characterization of MsPAL2, a key salt-tolerance gene during seed germination in Medicago sativa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an important legume forage crop. Salt stress severely impairs seed germination, compromising field establishment and subsequent seedling growth. However, the key genes underlying alfalfa seed responses to salt stress during germination remain largely unidentified, hindering targeted genetic improvement of salt tolerance within the genus Medicago. In this study, transcriptomic sequencing was performed on germinated and ungerminated seeds of alfalfa treated with 150 mmol/L NaCl, using the ‘Zhongmu No. 4’ reference genome. Through integrated KEGG pathway enrichment, gene expression fold-change analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), we identified the gene MsPAL2 (Msa1079410), which encodes the key rate-limiting enzyme in phenylpropanoid metabolism, as a critical salt-tolerance gene. Functional characterization via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed that silencing MsPAL2 did not affect seed germination under normal conditions but significantly reduced the germination rate under salt stress. These findings suggest that MsPAL2 acts as a positive regulator of alfalfa seed germination under salt stress. Promoter analysis and AlphaFold3 prediction collectively revealed MYB-binding cis-elements and identified MYB transcription factors as candidate upstream regulators of MsPAL2, laying the groundwork for elucidating its regulatory network. Phenylpropanoid metabolism constitutes a key mechanism underlying salt tolerance in alfalfa. Through transcriptome analysis, we identified MsPAL2, a phenylpropanoid pathway gene, as a critical regulator of alfalfa seed germination under salt stress, providing valuable genetic resources for molecular breeding of salt-tolerant alfalfa.

Study of the physiological and biochemical characteristics of Cupriavidus metallidurans YX16 and growth-promoting on maize seedlings under salt stress.

Findings indicate that Cupriavidus metallidurans YX16 is a salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) that effectively alleviates salt-induced damage and promotes maize growth, providing a basis for the development of microbial agents for the amelioration of saline-alkali soils.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Soybean UMAMIT Family and Functional Analysis of GmUMAMIT118 in Improving Seed Protein Content

Seed protein content, oil content, and yield are key agronomic traits that determine the economic value of soybean. For decades, soybean has served as a leading source of plant protein for human and animal nutrition due to its high protein concentration. Manipulating amino acid transporters to regulate the direction of nitrogen allocation represents a promising strategy for improving seed protein content. Multiple studies have employed this strategy by targeting amino acid importers. Recently, the Usually Multiple Amino acids Move In and Out Transporter (UMAMIT) family has been characterized as amino acid exporters; nevertheless, their role in regulating the seed protein content of soybean has not yet been investigated. In this study, we identified 120 soybean UMAMIT genes via a genome-wide search and designated them according to chromosomal location. Phylogenetic analysis grouped these genes into 10 clades (A–J). Whole-genome duplication (WGD)/segmental duplication served as the main driver of the GmUMAMIT family expansion, followed by tandem duplication. By integrating transcriptome data with QTL/GWAS loci, we identified twelve candidate genes associated with seed protein content and verified their expression patterns during seed development via qPCR. One candidate gene, GmUMAMIT118, was selected and overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, resulting in transgenic lines with significantly higher seed protein content and yield. Collectively, these results provided a comprehensive overview of the soybean UMAMIT family and offered a preliminary exploration of its role in improving seed protein content.

Transcriptomic Responses and Putative Mechanisms of Nicotinamide-Mediated Saline–Alkaline Tolerance in Soybean

Objective: Saline–alkali stress (composed of neutral and alkaline salts) severely constrains soybean productivity. Although nicotinamide can enhance plant salt tolerance, its most effective concentration and molecular basis in soybean remain unclear. This study aimed to systematically investigate the regulatory effect of exogenous nicotinamide on soybean saline–alkaline tolerance and to identify its candidate genes and putative mechanisms under salt-stressed conditions. Methods: Soybean cultivar ‘Hefeng 25’ seedlings were exposed to 200 mmol/L mixed salt stress and treated with nicotinamide at 0 (CK), 10, 50, and 200 mg/L. Growth parameters, ROS levels, ion contents, photosynthetic pigments, osmoregulatory substances, and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured. Transcriptome sequencing and RT-qPCR were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), followed by enrichment analysis. Results: Exogenous nicotinamide significantly improved soybean saline–alkaline tolerance relative to the salt-stressed CK group, with 50 mg/L (SA2) showing the most pronounced physiological improvements among all tested concentrations. SA2 treatment enhanced plant height, biomass, K+ content, and antioxidant enzyme activities while reducing Na+ accumulation and ROS levels compared with CK. Transcriptome analysis identified PM1 as the shared gene across the five non-most effective comparisons. Enrichment analysis implicated DEGs primarily in ko03110 (chaperones and folding catalysts), ko00199 (cytochrome P450), and ko04141 (protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum). RT-qPCR confirmed that PM1, P450 genes (CYP74A1, CYP83D1), HSPs (HSP23, HSP18), and ROS scavengers (NAC1, GSTU43) were upregulated under non-most effective doses (SA1/SA3) but downregulated to levels comparable to the stressed CK in SA2; conversely, SA2 specifically restored the expression levels of stress-repressed WRKY57 and LBD15. Transcriptomically, SA2 exhibited a profile most similar to the saline–alkali-stressed CK group, with the fewest number of differentially expressed genes among all treatments, whereas non-optimal nicotinamide concentrations were associated with extensive transcriptional changes in ER protein processing, detoxification-related, and oxidative stress-related pathways. The limited transcriptional changes in SA2 indicate greater transcriptional similarity to the stressed control, which paralleled its superior physiological performance. Conclusions: Nicotinamide effectively alleviates soybean saline–alkaline stress at 50 mg/L, with the most significant physiological benefits and the fewest transcriptional changes relative to the stressed control. The non-most effective nicotinamide concentrations show extensive stress-related transcriptional reprogramming in protein folding, detoxification, and stress-response pathways relative to the salt-stressed control, putatively implicating ER stress, detoxification, and oxidative stress-related responses at the transcript level, with PM1 acting as a potential candidate transcriptional marker of dose-dependent transcriptional regulation under saline–alkali stress.