GmKIX8-1 regulates organ size in soybean and is the causative gene for the major seed weight QTLqSw17-1

Seed weight is one of the most important agronomic traits in soybean for yield improvement and food production. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with the trait have been identified in soybean. However, the genes underlying the QTLs and their functions remain largely unknown. Using forward genetic methods and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, we identified and characterized the role of GmKIX8-1 in the control of organ size in soybean. GmKIX8-1 belongs to a family of KIX domain-containing proteins that negatively regulate cell proliferation in plants. Consistent with this predicted function, we found that loss-of-function GmKIX8-1 mutants showed a significant increase in the size of aerial plant organs, such as seeds and leaves. Likewise, the increase in organ size is due to increased cell proliferation, rather than cell expansion, and increased expression ofCYCLIN D3;1-10. Lastly, molecular analysis of soybean germplasms harboring theqSw17-1QTL for the big-seeded phenotype indicated that reduced expression ofGmKIX8-1is the genetic basis of theqSw17-1phenotype.