# Genome-Wide Analysis of Cellulose Synthase Superfamily and Roles of GmCESA1 in Regulating Drought Tolerance and Growth of Soybean

## TL;DR

This study explores the role of the cellulose synthase superfamily in soybean, finding that GmCESA1 helps regulate drought tolerance and plant growth.

## Contribution

The study identifies GmCESA1 as a key gene in regulating drought tolerance and growth in soybean through genome-wide analysis and gene silencing.

## Key findings

- GmCESA1 is highly expressed in drought-tolerant soybean under drought stress.
- Reduced GmCESA1 expression leads to lower drought tolerance and reduced plant height.
- Segmental duplication is a primary driver of the CS superfamily expansion in soybean.

## Abstract

The cellulose synthase (CS) superfamily, comprising the cellulose synthase (CESA) and cellulose synthase-like (CSL) families, plays crucial roles in plant response to abiotic stresses, growth and development. However, there are few reports on the biological functions of CSs in soybean. In this study, 80 soybean CS members were identified and classified into seven subfamilies. Collinearity analyses revealed that the segmental duplication is likely the primary driver for the expansion of CS superfamily in soybean. The abundant stress-responsive and growth-related cis-acting elements in the promoter regions of soybean CS genes suggest their potential functions. Notably, GmCESA1 exhibited significantly higher expression levels in drought-tolerant soybean under drought stress. Soybean plants with lower GmCESA1 expression via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS-GmCESA1) were less drought-tolerant than the control plants (VIGS-EV), showing reduced relative water content and dry weight than VIGS-EV under drought stress. Furthermore, VIGS-GmCESA1 soybean plants displayed reduced plant height under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Our findings highlight that GmCESA1 has pleiotropic functions in regulating both drought tolerance and growth in soybean, contributing to our knowledge on CS and providing a valuable gene to breed drought-tolerant soybean in the future.