Isolation of a novel family of genes related to 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases from soybean and analysis of their expression during root nodule senescence.

A screen for genes involved in root nodule senescence has led to the isolation of the senescence-associated nodulin 1 (SAN1) multigene family from Glycine max (soybean). The three, tandemly repeated SAN1 genes each have three exons and two introns and are highly conserved. SAN1A and SAN1B code for conceptual proteins of 352 and 353 amino acids, respectively, and share over 83% sequence identity, while SAN1C encodes a truncated protein of 126 amino acids and is likely to be a pseudogene. The SAN1-encoded proteins share sequence similarity and highly conserved motifs with plant 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2-ODDs), suggesting that they encode 2-ODDs. Analyses of the steady-state mRNA levels of SAN1A and SAN1B during senescence induced by treatment with fixed nitrogen or darkness demonstrate that SAN1A is downregulated during induced senescence. In contrast, SAN1B is upregulated by both treatments. The expression of the SAN1 genes is not restricted to nodules, suggesting that in addition to their function(s) in these organs, they play a more general role in plant metabolism.