关键词: 大豆, 糖基转移酶基因, 类黄酮, 黄酮醇

Abstract:

【Background】 Flavonoids are a group of important plant secondary metabolites accumulate in soybean, which are involved in many physiological activities, including soybean growth, development and stress resistance. Glycosylation catalyzed by UDP-glycosyltransferase is a key step in flavonoid biosynthesis. 【Objective】 The objective of the present study is to investigate the in vitro enzymatic activity and in vivo function of a soybean glycosyltransferase protein encoded by the UGT73C19 gene, the achievement of which will deep our understanding on the mechanism of the flavonoid biosynthesis in soybean. This study will provide gene resource and theoretical basis for the genetic modification in soybean. 【Method】 Flavonoids in the leaves of soybean core germplasm resources were detected by HPLC, and the expression level of UGT genes were detected by qRT-PCR. The coding region of the UGT73C19 gene was cloned from cDNA of soybean leaf (Williams 82). The amino acid sequences of UGT73C19 were searched in the NCBI database, and the software MEGA5 and DNAMAN were used for multiple sequence alignment and the construction of a phylogenetic tree. The recombinant UGT73C19 protein was expressed in E. coli and its enzymatic activity was determined towards various flavonoid aglycones. All the enzymatic products were identified by HPLC-MS. The expression profile of the UGT73C19 gene in soybean was analyzed by qRT-PCR. UGT73C19 was over-expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana by floral dipping method. Flavonoid content and composition were determined in seedlings and seeds in homozygous lines that showed the relatively high UGT73C19 expression level. 【Result】 Flavonoids in the leaves of soybean core germplasm showed significant differences in flavonoid composition and content in different varieties. Soybean core germplasm can be divided into 12 different types according to flavonoid composition. There was a positive correlation between the content of flavonoids and the expression level of UGT73C19 gene in the leaves of soybean core germplasm resources. The coding sequence of UGT73C19 gene was cloned,and the coding region was found to be 1482 bp, encoding a protein of 493 amino acids. The deduced UGT73C19 protein was found to have a conserved PSPG domain at the C-terminal. In vitro enzymatic activity analysis revealed that the recombinant UGT73C19 protein exhibited glycosyltransferase activity toward six flavonoid aglycones (kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, apigenin, daidzein and genistein), and it showed the highest catalytic efficiency toward quercetin. The glycosylation sites were at the 5 and 7 hydroxy groups of flavonoid substrates, and the glycosylation substrates and sites of the recombinant UGT73C19 protein showed high diversity. It was found that the total flavonoid contents in the seedlings and seeds of the transgenic A. thaliana increased significantly, by 49% to 70% in leaves and 34% to 37% in seeds, in particular quercetin 3-O rhamnose in the seeds. 【Conclusion】 The recombinant UGT73C19 protein can catalyze the glycosylation of a group of flavonoid compounds and over-expression of UGT73C19 gene can increase the content of flavonols in plants like A. thaliana.

Key words: soybean, UDP-glucosyltransferase, flavonoids, flavonols