Temporal changes in metabolism late in seed development affect biomass composition

The negative association between protein and oil production in soybean (Glycine max) seed is well-documented. However, this inverse relationship is based primarily on the composition of mature seed, which reflects the cumulative result of events over the course of soybean seed development and therefore does not convey information specific to metabolic fluctuations during developmental growth regimes. In this study, we assessed maternal nutrient supply via measurement of seed coat exudates and metabolite levels within the cotyledon throughout development to identify trends in the accumulation of central carbon and nitrogen metabolic intermediates. Active metabolic activity during late seed development was probed through transient labeling with 13C substrates. The results indicated: (1) a drop in lipid contents during seed maturation with a concomitant increase in carbohydrates, (2) a transition from seed filling to maturation phases characterized by quantitatively balanced changes in carbon use and CO2 release, (3) changes in measured carbon and nitrogen resources supplied maternally throughout development, (4) 13C metabolite production through gluconeogenic steps for sustained carbohydrate accumulation as the maternal nutrient supply diminishes, and (5) oligosaccharide biosynthesis within the seed coat during the maturation phase. These results highlight temporal engineering targets for altering final biomass composition to increase the value of soybeans and a path to breaking the inverse correlation between seed protein and oil content.