Flavonoid Production Is Effectively Regulated by RNAi Interference of Two Flavone Synthase Genes from Glycine max

• Published in: Journal of plant biology = Singmul Hakhoe chi 2010, 53(6), , pp.425-432
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yi Na, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, Wang, Biao, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, Li, Hui, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, Yao, Lu Ming, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, Wu, Tian Long, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Cloning; Cotyledons; Cultivars; Cytochrome; Enzymes; FLAVONOIDE; FLAVONOIDES; FLAVONOIDS; Gene expression; Genes; Glucose; Glycine max; Hairy root; Interference; Life Sciences; Metabolic engineering; Metabolites; Naringenin; Natural products; Original Research; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Proteins; RNA-mediated interference; Roots; Secondary metabolites; Seeds; SOJA; SOYBEANS; Subcellular localization; Yeast; Yeasts; 생물학
• ISSN: 1226-9239; 1867-0725
• DOI: 10.1007/s12374-010-9132-9

Flavonoids are a group of secondary metabolites found in many higher plants. The multiple roles of their flavone subclass include protection against UV damage, regulation of auxin transport, and modulation of flower color. In soybean (Glycine max), flavone synthase Ⅱ (FNS Ⅱ) is the key enzyme responsible for flavone biosynthesis. Two FNS Ⅱ genes from soybean cultivar Hefeng 47 were cloned according to basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) contexts using flavone synthase sequences reported in other species. These were named GmFNSⅡ-1 and GmFNSⅡ-2. Sequence alignments showed that the cDNA of GmFNSⅡ-1 was identical to that of CYP93B16, whereas GmFNSⅡ-2 was clearly distinct Functional assays in yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) suggested that these two enzymes could convert (2S)-naringenin into apigenin. The two GmFNSⅡ genes had similar tissue-specific expression patterns, but GmFNSⅡ-2 was significantly expressed in the roots after treatment with 0.4 M glucose. This demonstrates that the gene plays an important role in the response to defense signals in soybean. RNA interference-mediated suppression of those GmFNSⅡ genes effectively regulated flavone and isoflavone production in hairy roots that arose from soybean cotyledons transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes (ATCC15834). Our study also highlights some of the challenges associated with metabolic engineering of plant natural products.