Salt and drought stresses are major factors limiting soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) growth and development; thus, improving soybean stress tolerance is critical. In this study, both salt stress and drought stress induced mRNA levels of CONSTANS-like 1a (GmCOL1a) and stabilized the GmCOL1a protein. Transgenic 35S:GmCOL1a soybean plants exhibited enhanced salt and drought tolerance, with higher relative water content in leaves, greater proline content, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and less reactive oxygen species (ROS) production compared with wild-type plants; the GmCOL1a knockout co-9 mutant showed opposite phenotypes. In addition, GmCOL1a promoted the expression of genes related to salt tolerance, effectively reducing the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio in soybean plants, especially in stems and leaves of 35S:GmCOL1a soybean. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis identified two potential direct targets of GmCOL1a, late embryogenesis abundant (GmLEA) and Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (GmP5CS) genes, which were verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ChIP-qPCR), electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and transient transcriptional activation assays. GmCOL1a bound directly to the Myc(bHLH)-binding and Che-binding motifs of GmLEA and GmP5CS promoters to stimulate mRNA expression. Analysis of transgenic hairy-root GmP5CS:GmP5CS soybean plants in wild type, co-9, and 35S:GmCOL1a backgrounds further revealed that GmCOL1a enhances salt and drought tolerance by promoting GmP5CS protein accumulation in transgenic soybean hairy roots. Therefore, we demonstrate that GmCOL1a plays an important role in tolerance to abiotic stress in soybean.

Plasticizers and the water migration of edible protein films during storage can result in changes in film properties, while specific changing processes need to be further explored. In this study, glycerol-plasticized soy protein isolate (SPI) films were stored at 25 °C, 4 °C, and −18 °C for 6 weeks (relative humidity (RH), 40–50%). The glycerol migration was monitored by the glycerol migration rate and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Water content, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to analyze the water state. The results showed that significant pores and cracks were observed after storage at 25 °C. The proportion of bound water gradually increased, and the glycerol migration rate also reached 1.3% and 0.7% at 25 °C and 4 °C, respectively. The results proved that increasing the storage temperature accelerated the loss of water and glycerol, and decreased the mechanical properties of the SPI film.