2026-05-13 東北大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/2026/05/press20260513-04-soy.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0981942826002378
色関連遺伝子の組み合わせが色素組成を制御し、ダイズの多様な着色を確立する Combination of color-related genes regulates pigment composition and establishes diverse coloration in soybean
Mao Suganami, Soichi Kojima, Masato Kamakura, Manaka Shiraishi, Kazunori Beppu, Hideki Yoshida, Naoto Nihei, Hidekazu Takahashi, Toshiyuki Waki, Toru Nakayama, Maki Hayashi, Hiromi Masuko-Suzuki, Moe Sato, Kumi Yoshida, Saeko Masumoto, Tsukasa Matsuda, Masao Watanabe, Makoto Matsuoka
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Available online: 30 March 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2026.111251
Highlights
- Organ-specific flavonoid pathways determine soybean tissue coloration.
- Four major pigment genes regulate pathways to generate diversity in the color of the seed coat.
- A novel reddish seed coat pigment and its causal genes combinations were identified.
- Complete loss of coloration resulted from stepwise selection during domestication and breeding.
Abstract
Color variations in the seed coat and other organs of the soybean emerged during the domestication process. Most of the known genes involved in the pigmentation of each organ are involved in flavonoid synthesis. In this study, we investigated the coloration in each organ of soybean using the FUKUSHIMA_Panel of 333 soybean varieties. We analyzed the expression of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathways in each organ and found that the activities of specific branches of the flavonoid pathway differ among organs, explaining the organ-specific differences in color determination. Combinations of four known color-related genes (I, R, W1, and T) altered functional pathways and seed coat pigmentation in the seed coat, resulting in diverse seed coat colors. In this context, we found that the reddish seed coat pigment is a pelargonidin-3-glucoside (Pg3G) anthocyanin, and its causative gene is a combination of non-functional haplotypes of W1 and T, previously unidentified. Finally, the process of colorlessness in domestication and breeding was investigated. The ii or I locus was selected in the domestication and early breeding process. In contrast, a combination of non-functional R and T haplotypes was selected in the modern breeding process to completely inactivate the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway to produce seeds with good appearance.
