Multi-omics assisted breeding for biotic stress resistance in soybean

Biotic stress is a critical factor limiting soybean growth and development. Soybean responses to biotic stresses such as insects, nematodes, fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens are governed by complex regulatory and defense mechanisms. Next-generation sequencing has availed research techniques and strategies in genomics and post-genomics. This review summarizes the available information on marker resources, quantitative trait loci, and marker-trait associations involved in regulating biotic stress responses in soybean. We discuss the differential expression of related genes and proteins reported in different transcriptomics and proteomics studies and the role of signaling pathways and metabolites reported in metabolomic studies. Recent advances in omics technologies offer opportunities to reshape and improve biotic stress resistance in soybean by altering gene regulation and/or other regulatory networks. We suggest using 'integrated omics' to precisely understand how soybean responds to different biotic stresses. We also discuss the potential challenges of integrating multi-omics for the functional analysis of genes and their regulatory networks and the development of biotic stress-resistant cultivars. This review will help direct soybean breeding programs to develop resistance against different biotic stresses.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the regulatory and defense mechanisms in soybean against biotic stresses, including marker resources, quantitative trait loci, and marker-trait associations. It discusses the differential expression of genes and proteins reported in transcriptomics and proteomics studies, as well as the role of signaling pathways and metabolites reported in metabolomics studies. Recent advances in omics technologies provide opportunities to enhance biotic stress resistance in soybean by altering gene regulation and/or other regulatory networks. The use of 'integrated omics' is suggested to precisely understand soybean's response to different biotic stresses, but challenges in integrating multi-omics for functional gene analysis and cultivar development need to be addressed.