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From sulfur to homoglutathione: thiol metabolism in soybean

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Abstract

Sulfur is an essential plant nutrient and is metabolized into the sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) and into molecules that protect plants against oxidative and environmental stresses. Although studies of thiol metabolism in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) have expanded our understanding of these dynamic processes, our knowledge of how sulfur is assimilated and metabolized in crop plants, such as soybean (Glycine max), remains limited in comparison. Soybean is a major crop used worldwide for food and animal feed. Although soybeans are protein-rich, they do not contain high levels of the sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine. Ultimately, unraveling the fundamental steps and regulation of thiol metabolism in soybean is important for optimizing crop yield and quality. Here we review the pathways from sulfur uptake to glutathione and homoglutathione synthesis in soybean, the potential biotechnology benefits of understanding and modifying these pathways, and how information from the soybean genome may guide the next steps in exploring this biochemical system.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by grants from the US Department of Agriculture (NRI-2005-02518) and the National Science Foundation grant (MCB-0824492) to J.M.J.

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  1. Department of Biology, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Hankuil Yi, Geoffrey E. Ravilious, Ashley Galant & Joseph M. Jez

  2. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 N. Warson Rd, St. Louis, MO, 63132, USA

    Hankuil Yi & Joseph M. Jez

  3. Plant Genetics Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service-USDA, and Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Hari B. Krishnan

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  1. Hankuil Yi
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Correspondence to Joseph M. Jez.

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This article is published as part of the Special Issue on plant amino acids.

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Yi, H., Ravilious, G.E., Galant, A. et al. From sulfur to homoglutathione: thiol metabolism in soybean. Amino Acids 39, 963–978 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0572-9

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