Negative Regulation of <i>GmNAC35</i> by miR164 Enhances Drought Tolerance in Soybean
Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.) is a critical crop in China, serving as a primary source of food, oil, and animal feed. Drought stress significantly impacts soybean growth and yield. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in plant drought responses. The miR164 family is highly con...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1450 |
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| Summary: | Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.) is a critical crop in China, serving as a primary source of food, oil, and animal feed. Drought stress significantly impacts soybean growth and yield. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in plant drought responses. The miR164 family is highly conserved across plant species and has been shown to participate in drought responses in a range of plants, yet the function of miR164 in soybean remains unclear. In this study, we identified <i>GmNAC35</i> as a direct target of miR164 through published degradome sequencing data and 5′ RLM-RACE assays. Under drought stress, miR164 members (e.g., <i>MIR164a</i>, <i>MIR164f</i>, and <i>MIR164k</i>) rapidly down-regulated, reaching their lowest expression at 2 h and returning to basal levels within 6 h. Conversely, <i>GmNAC35</i> showed an inverse pattern, indicating negative regulation by miR164. Overexpression of <i>GmNAC35</i> enhanced drought tolerance in transgenic soybean plants, as evidenced by higher survival rates and reduced water loss. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that <i>GmNAC35</i> modulates stress-responsive pathways, including ABA signaling and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Our findings indicate that miR164 negatively regulates <i>GmNAC35</i>, a positive regulator of drought tolerance. This enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in soybean and may inform strategies for breeding drought-resistant varieties. |
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| ISSN: | 2073-4395 |