Developmental regulators enable rapid and efficient soybean transformation and CRISPR-mediated genome editing

Abstract

Soybean transformation remains challenging and has not kept pace with the rapid advancement of genetic engineering technologies due to low efficiency, lengthy timelines, and genotype dependency. Here, we developed a streamlined transformation method by leveraging developmental regulators (DRs) to promote de novo shoot regeneration directly from growing soybean plants. By evaluating multiple DR combinations, our results showed that co-expression of WUSCHEL2 (WUS2) and isopentenyltransferase (IPT) achieved higher transformation efficiencies (15.2% to 22.3%) in Williams 82 and Bert varieties than individual DRs without requiring exogenous hormones or selection agents. Moreover, this method produces heritable transgenic events within 9-11 weeks and successfully delivers CRISPR-Cas9 components, generating heritable mutations with 20% efficiency. The temporal transcriptomic and gene regulatory network analyses revealed that WUS2/IPT synergistically modulates stress responses and activates developmental pathways, orchestrating a transition from initial stress adaptation to regenerative programming. Together, our findings demonstrate that this DR-enabled approach significantly enhances soybean transformation efficiency, reduces tissue culture requirements, and offers a promising genome editing platform for soybean improvement.