Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Soybean Hairy Root Transformation for the Analysis of Gene Function
Published on: May 5, 2023
Role of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase 1 in nodule development of soybean
Ali Izadi-Darbandi1, Peter M Gresshoff2
1Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding Sciences, University of Tehran, College of Aburaihan, Tehran, Iran; Centre for Integrative Legume Research, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Abstract:
Autoregulation of nodulation (AON) plays a central role in nodulation by inhibiting the formation of excess number of legume root nodules. In this study, the effect of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase 1 (GmHMGR1) gene expression on nodulation and the AON system in Glycine max (L.) Merr was investigated. Wild-type soybean (cultivar Bragg) and its near-isogenic supernodulating mutant (nitrate tolerant symbiotic) nts1007 were selected to identify the expression pattern of this gene in rootlets after inoculation by its microsymbiont Bradyrhizobium. For further analysis, the full length of GmHMGR1 and its promoter were cloned after amplification by inverse-PCR and BAC library screening. Also, we constructed an intron hairpin RNA interference (ihpRNAi) and a GmHMGR1 promoter: β-glucuronidase fusion constructs, consequently for suppression of GmHMGR1 and histochemical analysis in transgenic soybean hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain K599. The GmHMGR1 gene was functional during the early stages of nodulation with the AON system having a negative effect on GmHMGR1 expression and nodule formation in wild-type rootlets. GmHMGR1 was particularly expressed in the developing phloem within the root, nodules and nodule lenticels. Expression of GmHMGR1 in transgenic hairy roots was suppressed by RNAi silencing approximately 85% as compared to empty vector controls. This suggests that the GmHMGR1 gene has an important role in triggering nodule formation as its suppression caused a reduction of nodule formation in nts mutant lines with a deficient AON system.
Related Concept Videos
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Cell Signaling in Plants
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction
As shown below, the mechanism involves three steps. Firstly, the hydride ion acting as a nucleophile attacks the nitrile carbon to form an anion. In the second step, a second equivalent of the hydride ion attacks the anion to...
Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Amides and Nitriles
Amides can be reduced to primary, secondary, and tertiary amines using catalytic hydrogenation, active metals like Fe,...
Preparation of Amines: Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones
Key Elements for Plant Nutrition

