The Role of a Soybean 14-3-3 Gene ( Glyma05g29080 ) on White Mold Resistance and Nodulation Investigations Using CRISPR-Cas9 Editing and RNA Silencing.

The role of a soybean 14-3-3 gene () in defense against white mold and in nodulation was investigated by loss-of-gene-function with CRISPR-Cas9 editing and silencing of RNA interference (RNAi). Particle bombardment was used to introduce the CRISPR expression cassette to target the soybean 14-3-3 gene and an RNAi construct to silence gene transcription. Transmission of the edited 14-3-3 gene and the RNAi construct was confirmed in their respective progeny. The recovered transgenic plants and their progeny were significantly more susceptible to infection and showed a significant reduction in nodulation, thus confirming the role of the 14-3-3 gene () in both nodulation and defense.