Methyl Jasmonate Increases Isoflavone Production in Soybean Cell Cultures by Activating Structural Genes Involved in Isoflavonoid Biosynthesis

Isoflavonoids are a class of biologically active natural products that accumulate in soybean (Glycine max L.) seeds during development, play vital roles in plant defense, and act as phytoestrogens with important human health benefits. Plant cell suspension cultures represent an excellent source of biologically important secondary metabolites. We found that methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatment increased isoflavone production in soybean suspension cell cultures. To investigate the underlying mechanism, we examined the expression of structural genes (CHS6, CHS7, CHI1, IFS1, IFS2, IFMaT, and HID) in the isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathways in soybean suspension cells under various abiotic stress conditions. MJ treatment had the most significant effect on gene expression and increased the production of three glycosidic isoflavones (daidzin, malonyldaidzin, and malonylgenistin), with the maximum total isoflavone production (∼10-fold increase) obtained on day 9 after MJ application. MJ treatment significantly increased total phenolic contents and upregulated isoflavonoid biosynthesis genes, shedding light on the underlying mechanism.