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Article Navigation >  Journal of Genetics and Genomics  > 2026  > Accepted Manuscript

A single-nucleus transcriptome atlas of soybean anthers

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.03.006
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    a. Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130102, China;

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    b. Zhejiang Lab, Research Institute of Intelligent Computing, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, China;

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    c. College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;

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    d. State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Funds:

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 32488102 and 32301801) to Xianzhong Feng and Xiao Chen, the Zhejiang Lab (Grant No. 2021PE0AC04), and Jilin Province Science and Technology Development Plan Project (Grant No.20210302005NC) to Xianzhong Feng.

  • Received Date: 2025-09-13
  • Accepted Date: 2026-03-08
  • Rev Recd Date: 2026-03-06
    • Available Online: 2026-03-13
    Abstract
  • Anther development is crucial for plant sexual reproduction. However, a high-resolution, cell-type-specific transcriptomic atlas of this process is lacking for the legume crop soybean (Glycine max). Here, we construct a comprehensive transcriptional atlas of developing soybean anthers using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identify and characterize nine distinct cell types spanning both somatic and reproductive lineages. Our analysis reveals robust transcriptional continuity across anther developmental stages and dynamic reprogramming during key transitions. Notably, the shift from diploid meiocytes to haploid unicellular microspores is marked by the induction of previously inactive genes, despite an overall reduction in transcript abundance. Subsequently, within bicellular microspores, generative and vegetative cell lineages exhibit sharply divergent transcriptional programs: generative cells specialize in mRNA export and turnover, whereas vegetative cells up-regulate translational machinery. Evolutionary analysis further indicates that generative-cell-specific genes are subject to more relaxed purifying selection compared to those specific to vegetative cells. Functional validation using mutants generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing and EMS mutagenesis reveals the essential roles of OSD1A and PKSA in pollen development and fertility. This high-resolution atlas provides fundamental insights into the transcriptional regulation of soybean anther development and serves as a valuable resource for manipulating male fertility to advance hybrid breeding programs. The data are available to browse at https://databases.genedenovo.com/pollen.
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