Updated May 16, 2020:
The overall goal of this project was to use basic information and understanding of N uptake, and ureide and amino acid transport processes to increase soybean yield and seed protein concentration, and to improve the soybean seed protein composition. As part of this project, we tested yield and seed composition of soybeans overexpressing a ureide transporter in two years at three locations in Missouri. Our analyses revealed an increase of 1 to 2% in seed protein concentration in one of three transgenic lines at two out of three locations in both years. Importantly, this increase in seed protein concentration did not come at a cost to seed yield. Additionally, we crossed the determinate ureide transporter overexpression line with an indeterminate maturity group III cultivar and developed determinate and indeterminate lines that overexpress the ureide transporter. With these lines in hand, the impact of ureide transporter overexpression can be tested in determinate and indeterminate sibling lines.

In an attempt to enhance transport of amino acids from leaves to seeds as well as the import of amino acids into seeds to increase yield, seed protein levels and protein composition, we generated soybean plants that over express new nitrogen-transport related genes. The new transgenic plants have been advanced for a couple of generations and we are on track to develop plants which stably inherit the transgene. With these plants in hand, the effect of the nitrogen-transport related genes on yield, protein content, and protein composition can be tested.