AUTHOR=Chen Qiang , Shi Xiaolei , Ai Lijuan , Tian Xuan , Zhang Hongwei , Tian Jiawang , Wang Qianying , Zhang Mengchen , Cui Sujuan , Yang Chunyan , Zhao Hongtao 

TITLE=Genome-wide identification of genes encoding SWI/SNF components in soybean and the functional characterization of GmLFR1 in drought-stressed plants

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1176376

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1176376

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=ATP-dependent SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes (CRCs) are evolutionarily conserved multi-component machines that regulate transcription, replication, and genome stability in eukaryotes. SWI/SNF components play pivotal roles in development and various stress responses in plants. However, the compositions and biological functions of SWI/SNF CRCs remain poorly understood in soybean. In this study, we used bioinformatics to identify 39 SWI/SNF CRC subunit-encoding genes distributed on the 19 chromosomes of soybean. The promoter regions of the genes were enriched with several cis-regulatory elements that are responsive to various hormones and stresses. Digital expression profiling and qRT-PCR revealed that most of the SWI/SNF genes were expressed in multiple tissues of soybean and were sensitive to drought stress. Phenotypical, physiological, and molecular genetic analyses revealed that GmLFR1 plays a negative role in drought tolerance in soybean. Together, our findings characterize putative components of soybean SWI/SNF CRCs and indicate possible roles for GmLFR1 in plants under drought stress. This study offers a foundation for comprehensive analyses of soybean SWI/SNF complexes and provides mechanistic insight into the epigenetic regulation of drought tolerance in soybean.