SoyMD: a platform combining multi-omics data with various tools for soybean research and breeding

Advanced multi-omics technologies offer much information that can uncover the regulatory mechanisms from genotype to phenotype. In soybean, numerous multi-omics databases have been published. Although they cover multiple omics, there are still limitations when it comes to the types and scales of omics datasets and analysis methods utilized. This study aims to address these limitations by collecting and integrating a comprehensive set of multi-omics datasets. This includes 38 genomes, transcriptomes from 435 tissue samples, 125 phenotypes from 6686 accessions, epigenome data involving histone modification, transcription factor binding, chromosomal accessibility and chromosomal interaction, as well as genetic variation data from 24 501 soybean accessions. Then, common analysis pipelines and statistical methods were applied to mine information from these multi-omics datasets, resulting in the successful establishment of a user-friendly multi-omics database called SoyMD (https://yanglab.hzau.edu.cn/SoyMD/#/). SoyMD provides researchers with efficient query options and analysis tools, allowing them to swiftly access relevant omics information and conduct comprehensive multi-omics data analyses. Another notable feature of SoyMD is its capability to facilitate the analysis of candidate genes, as demonstrated in the case study on seed oil content. This highlights the immense potential of SoyMD in soybean genetic breeding and functional genomics research.