A novel allele of GmSACPD-C associated with a high seed stearic acid concentration in an EMS-induced mutant PE980 in soybean

Authors: JEONG, JAE-EUN - Kyungpook National University; KULKARNI, KRISHNANAND - Kyungpook National University; CHANG, JEONG HO - Kyungpook National University; HA, BO-KEUN - Kyungpook National University; KANG, SUNG TAEG - Kyungpook National University; Bilyeu, Kristin; JO, HYUN - University Of Missouri; SONG, JONG TAE - Kyungpook National University; LEE, JEONG-DONG - Kyungpook National University

Submitted to: Crop Science Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2017
Publication Date: 1/15/2018
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6472214
Citation: Jeong, J., Kulkarni, K.P., Chang, J., Ha, B., Kang, S., Bilyeu, K.D., Jo, H., Song, J., Lee, J. 2018. A novel allele of GmSACPD-C associated with a high seed stearic acid concentration in an EMS-induced mutant PE980 in soybean. Crop Science Society of America. 58(1):192-203. http://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.05.0313.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.05.0313

Interpretive Summary: Soybean is one of the most valuable sources for vegetable oil in the world. Partially or fully hydrogenated vegetable oils replaced animal fats in most foods several decades ago due to health concerns. More recent evidence has illuminated additional health concerns from consumption of partially hydrogenated oils. The objective of this research was to identify and characterize new sources of the soybean seed oil elevated seed stearic acid trait. High levels of stearic acid in fats and oils have been shown to be neutral for cardiovascular health and may provide a new use for soybean oil with this trait in the American diet. A soybean line was identified that contians four times the typical amount of stearic acid in the seed oil. The causative mutation was characterized, and perfect molecular markers were developed so that breeders could directly select for the trait. The impact of the research results is novel germplasm that can be utilized to develop soybean varieties that have an increased value soybean oil.

Technical Abstract: Stearic acid is one of the important saturated fatty acid components in soybean seed oil. Increasing the stearic acid concentration in oil would improve the oil quality for edible uses and industrial applications. The objective of the present study was to characterize a high-stearic acid mutant, generated through EMS-treatment of the soybean variety Pungsannamul. The mutant PE980 showed stearic acid concentration of ~160 g kg-1, 4-fold higher than that of the wild type Pungsannamul. The mutant PE980 also contained reductions in palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linolenic acid in the seed oil compared to Pungsannamul. PE980 had no sequence variations in the amplified coding region of SACPD-A and SACPD-B; however, a single base substitution from Guanine to Adenine at genomic position 703 in the 1st exon of the SACPD-C gene was detected. The mutation caused a valine to methionine change in the predicted protein sequence of SACPD-C. The coding region carrying the amino acid substitution was found to be highly conserved among seven other plant species. Cosegregation analysis performed through genotyping for the identified mutation in a set of 10 plants with low stearic acid concentration and 10 plants with high stearic acid concentration, selected from a cross of Uram x PE980, displayed perfect association of the G/A SNP with the stearic acid concentration. The mutant characterized in the present study can be a good genetic resource to develop a high stearic acid, high yielding soybean.