Characterization of GmABI3VP1 Associated with Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode in Glycine max

The ABI3 transcription factor is a key regulator in plant growth and development. Through transcriptome analysis of the resistant soybean cultivar ‘Dongnong L10′ and the susceptible cultivar ‘Heinong 37′ exposed to soybean cyst nematode race 3 (SCN 3) stress, the differentially expressed gene GmABI3VP1 was identified. The GmABI3VP1 gene was then cloned and analyzed through bioinformatics, subcellular localization, and qRT-PCR analysis of resistant and susceptible soybean germplasms, as well as overexpression and gene editing of soybean hairy roots followed by SCN 3 identification analysis. It was found that the protein encoded by GmABI3VP1 is an acidic and hydrophilic protein with transmembrane domains. It has a collinear relationship with Arabidopsis and is widely distributed in plants. Through the analysis of promoter elements, it was shown that this gene contains multiple hormone-responsive promoter elements like ABRE/ABRE3a/ABRE/4a/as-1 and stress-responsive elements such as Myb/MYC/MYc. Transient expression in tobacco indicated that the GmABI3VP1 gene is located in the nucleus. The transcription of GmABI3VP1 responds to the stress of SCN, and its transcriptional level is relatively high in the roots of resistant materials. Genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes was used to obtain GmABI3VP1 gene overexpressed and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited soybean hairy roots. In comparison to the wild type (WT), the density of nematodes per area was notably lower in hairy roots overexpressing (OX) the gene, whereas the density of SCN per unit area (per cm of lateral root length) significantly increased in gene-edited (KO) soybean hairy roots. Through SCN phenotyping, GmABI3VP1 was identified as a contributor to SCN 3 resistance. This study provides initial insights into the role of the GmABI3VP1 gene in SCN resistance, establishing a robust basis for future research on the mechanisms underlying SCN disease resistance and offering valuable genetic reservoirs for SCN 3 resistance.