Categories and components of soyasaponin in the Chinese wild soybean (Glycine soja) genetic resource collection

• Published in: Genetic resources and crop evolution Vol. 64; no. 8; pp. 2161 - 2171
• Main Authors: Takahashi, Yuya, Li, Xiang-Hua, Tsukamoto, Chigen, Wang, Ke-Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Breeding; Chemical compounds; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Genetic resources; Glycine; Glycine max; Glycine soja; Life Sciences; Organic chemistry; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Precursors; Research Article; Saponins; Seeds; Soyasaponin; Soybeans; Sugar; Thin layer chromatography; Xylose; Wild soybean; Thin later chromatography; Soyasaponin
• DOI: 10.1007/s10722-017-0506-4
• ISSN: 0925-9864

Soyasaponins, natural chemical compounds in soybean seeds, have important health benefits and also influence soyfood taste. A total of 3795 wild soybean ( Glycine soja ) accessions, collected from almost all the areas where wild soybean grows in China, were analysed using thin-layer chromatography to clarify saponin composition polymorphisms within Chinese wild soybeans. Twenty-three saponin components were distinguished, including four new components. The four new saponin components were a Sg - 6 saponin K-αg [29–acetyl H-αg] in 18 accessions, an HAb-αg [29-hydroxy Ab] in an Ab type accession, an A-αg [3- O -(Glc-Gal-GlcUA)-soyasapogenol A (SS-A)] which is a biosynthetic precursor compound of the Aa and Ab types and its derivative KA-αg [29- O -acetyl A-αg] in the sg - 7 mutant. Eight sg - 1 0 variant accessions without the second sugar (xylose or glucose) at the C-22 position and one high-content group-E saponin Bd and one high-content group-A saponin Ae accessions were detected. Our present results can be expected to play vital roles in clarifying the biosynthetic pathway for soyasaponins. We suggest that the A-αg is the precursors for group-A and Bd components, and the Sg - 6 saponin is biosynthesized from the Bd component in the relationship between the biosyntheses of group-A and Sg - 6 saponins. The above new components and variants contribute to develop healthy and functional foods in soybean breeding programs.