Cytosolic Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate Aldolases Modulate Primary Metabolism and Phytohormone Homeostasis in Soybean

Abstract

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) is an important catalytic enzyme in carbon metabolism and plays an important role in plant growth and development. Currently, the biological functions of FBA in soybean (Glycine max) remain unknown. In this study, we conducted research on FBA in soybean and identified 14 GmFBA genes. Among them, GmFBAc1 and GmFBAc2 are broadly expressed in different tissues. Double mutant lines of GmFBAc1 and GmFBAc2 were obtained by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. Compared with the wild type, the double-gene homozygous mutant gmfbac1gmfbac2 exhibited dwarf seedlings and narrow leaflets, indicating that GmFBAc1 and GmFBAc2 are critical for soybean growth and development. The gmfbac1gmfbac2 metabolomic analysis revealed that compared to the wild type, carbohydrate metabolism was reduced and amino acid metabolism was enhanced in gmfbac1gmfbac2 mutant leaves. Transcriptomic analysis showed that genes in IAA signaling and JA signaling were downregulated and upregulated, respectively. Our study demonstrates an important role of GmFBAc1 and GmFBAc2 in modulating carbon metabolism and phytohormone homeostasis.