Sugar Transporter GmSWEET20 Contributes to the Resistance of Soybean to Cyst Nematode

SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter) protein facilitates the movement of sugars through cell membranes and is essential for loading sucrose into phloem. Beyond its role in sugar transport, the SWEET protein also modulates plant resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Among sugar transporter genes, GmSWEET20, as a positive regulatory factor involved in soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) resistance. In this study, susceptible soybean cultivars (Williams 82) were used to conduct a transcriptome analysis in order to characterize the responses to nematode infection, where multiple sugar transporter genes were highly expressed. The RT-qPCR analysis confirmed a significant increase in the expression of GmSWEET20 in soybean roots with H. glycines infection. Heterologous expression tests indicated that GmSWEET20 encoding protein does not transport hexose in yeast. Further analysis showed that soybean lines overexpressing GmSWEET20 exhibited increased resistance to H. glycines in comparison to the control. The yeast one-hybrid assay was employed to discover the LOC114390362 binds to the GmSWEET20 promoter. Transient expression in tobacco leaf cells revealed nucleus and cytosol localization of LOC114390362. LOC114390362-overexpressing soybean lines reduce the number of nematode infections. Overall, the results indicate that the binding of LOC114390362 to the GmSWEET20 promoter plays a positive role in regulating soybean resistance to H. glycines. The GmSWEET20 gene has the great potential intended for improving resistance to plant-parasitic nematodes in soybean and other plants.