Comprehensive genomic characterization of the soybean G3PDH gene family and its role in virus resistance

Background: Glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) mediated the reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to generate Glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P). G3P plays a significant role in plant anti-viral systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Therefore, it is crucial to systematically characterize the G3PDH gene family, especially its role in virus infection in soybean, to facilitate the cultivation of disease-resistant soybean seeds. Results: In this study, 10 members of the G3PDH family were identified in soybean and renamed according to their chromosomal positions. These members are unevenly distributed across chromosomes. These G3PDH genes were divided into five groups through analysis of conserved motifs, gene structure, and phylogenetic analysis. Findings revealed that anaerobic induction response elements, known to be involved in plant stress resistance, were the most abundant among the identified cis-acting elements. Expression analysis revealed that G3PDH8 exhibited predominant expression in seeds and was significantly upregulated following viral infection. In addition, soybean G3PDH silenced which generated based on bean pod mosaic virus (BPMV) plants accumulated a higher viral load compared to control V plants. Conclusions: This study provides a systematic characterization of the G3PDH gene family, including protein functional features, expression patterns and bioinformatic analysis. Results laid a foundation for exploring the function of G3PDH gene in soybean antiviral infection and breeding of soybean for SMV resistance.