A small heat shock protein, GmHSP17.9, from nodule confers symbiotic nitrogen fixation and seed yield in soybean

• DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13698
• Publication Date: 2021-09-06T18:17:20Z
• Authors: Zhanwu Yang; Hui Du; Xinzhu Xing; Wenlong Li; Youbin Kong; Xihuan Li; Caiying Zhang
• Keywords: Nodule (geology)

Legume-rhizobia symbiosis enables biological nitrogen fixation to improve crop production for sustainable agriculture. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are involved in multiple environmental stresses and plant development processes. However, the role of sHSPs nodule soybean remains largely unknown. In present study, we identified a nodule-localized sHSP, called GmHSP17.9, soybean, which was markedly up-regulated during development. GmHSP17.9 specifically expressed infected regions nodules. overexpression RNAi transgenic composite plants loss function CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing mutant resulted remarkable alterations number, fresh weight, nitrogenase activity, contents poly β-hydroxybutyrate bodies (PHBs), ureide total content, caused significant changes growth seed yield. also found act as chaperone its interacting partner, GmNOD100, sucrose synthase nodules preferentially zone nodules, similar GmHSP17.9. Functional analysis GmNOD100 revealed that played an essential nodulation. The hsp17.9 lines showed more reduced lower UDP-glucose acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), decreased activity succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle due missing interaction with GmNOD100. Our findings reveal important unprecedented molecular mechanism soybean.