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Zhang S, Wang H, Li X, Tang L, Cai X, Liu C, Zhang X, Zhang J. Aspartyl proteases identified as candidate genes of a fiber length QTL, qFL D05, that regulates fiber length in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Theor Appl Genet 2024; 137:59. [PMID: 38407588 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-024-04559-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE GhAP genes were identified as the candidates involved in cotton fiber length under the scope of fine mapping a stable fiber length QTL, qFLD05. Moreover, the transcription factor GhWRKY40 positively regulated GhAP3 to decrease fiber length. Fiber length (FL) is an economically important fiber quality trait. Although several genes controlling cotton fiber development have been identified, our understanding of this process remains limited. In this study, an FL QTL (qFLD05) was fine-mapped to a 216.9-kb interval using a secondary F2:3 population derived from the upland hybrid cultivar Ji1518. This mapped genomic segment included 15 coding genes, four of which were annotated as aspartyl proteases (GhAP1-GhAP4). GhAPs were identified as candidates for qFLD05 as the sequence variations in GhAPs were associated with FL deviations in the mapping population, and functional validation of GhAP3 and GhAP4 indicated a longer FL following decreases in their expression levels through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Subsequently, the potential involvement of GhWRKY40 in the regulatory network was revealed: GhWRKY40 positively regulated GhAP3's expression according to transcriptional profiling, VIGS, yeast one-hybrid assays and dual-luciferase experiments. Furthermore, alterations in the expression of the eight previously reported cotton FL-responsive genes from the above three VIGS lines (GhAP3, GhAP4 and GhWRKY40) implied that MYB5_A12 was involved in the GhWRKY40-GhAP network. In short, we unveiled the unprecedented FL regulation roles of GhAPs in cotton, which was possibly further regulated by GhWRKY40. These findings will reveal the genetic basis of FL development associated with qFLD05 and be beneficial for the marker-assisted selection of long-staple cotton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujun Zhang
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Haitao Wang
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Xinghe Li
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Liyuan Tang
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Xiao Cai
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Cunjing Liu
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Xiangyun Zhang
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China
| | - Jianhong Zhang
- Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Cotton in Huanghuaihai Semiarid Area, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China.
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