Abstract
BackgroundTetraploid cotton plants serve as prime natural fiber source for the textile industry. Although various omics studies have revealed molecular basis for fiber development, a better understanding of transcriptional regulation mechanism regulating lint fiber initiation is necessary to meet global natural fiber demand.ResultsHere, we aimed to perform transcriptome sequencing to identify DEGs (differentially expressed genes) in ovules of the cotton variety Xu142 and its fibreless mutant Xu142fl during early lint fiber initiation period. Totally, 5516 DEGs including 1840 upregulated and 3676 downregulated were identified. GO enrichment analysis revealed that the downregulated DEGs were mainly associated with biological processes such as transcription related biosynthesis and metabolism, organic cyclic compound biosynthesis and metabolism, photosynthesis, and plant cell wall organization, with molecular functions involving transcription related binding, organic cyclic compound binding, and dioxygenase activity, while the upregulated DEGs were associated with DNA replication and phospholipid biosynthetic related processes. Among the 490 DEGs annotated as transcription factor genes, 86.5% were downregulated in the mutant including the Malvaceae-specific MMLs, expression patterns of which were confirmed during the central period of lint fiber initiation. Investigation of the 16 genes enriched in the cell wall organization revealed that 15 were EXPA coding genes.ConclusionsOverall, our data indicate that lint fiber initiation is a complicated process involving cooperation of multiple transcription factor families, which might ultimately lead to the reorganization of the cell wall and terminated cell division of the differentiating fiber initials.
Highlights
Tetraploid cotton plants serve as prime natural fiber source for the textile industry
The transcriptional mechanisms have been widely explored by various researchers, which established the model in cotton that fiber initiation mimics the hair trichome initiation in Arabidopsis involving the MBW complex consisting of the R2R3 MYB protein GL1, the bHLH protein GL3, and the WD-repeat containing protein TTG1, which controls the expression of the downstream HD-ZIP transcription factor gene GL2 [7]
Overview of the comparative transcriptome sequencing using ovules of Xuzhou142 fibreless mutant (Xu142fl) and Xu142 at early fiber initiation stage In order to study Xu142fl and Xu142 in the context of fiber initiation, we first performed transcriptome sequencing by mixing ovules at − 3 and − 1 DPA of Xu142fl and Xu142 respectively, before obvious fiber initials could be observed from the epidermis of the wild type cotton seeds under optical microscope, by setting 3 biological replicates for each variety
Summary
Tetraploid cotton plants serve as prime natural fiber source for the textile industry. Cotton plants serve as the largest natural fiber source for the global textile industry [1]. Mature cotton seeds are covered with adherent fuzz and spinnable lint fibers. Cotton fibers development can be classified into four overlapping stages: initiation, elongation, thickening of the secondary cell wall, and maturation [2]. The. The transcriptional mechanisms have been widely explored by various researchers, which established the model in cotton that fiber initiation mimics the hair trichome initiation in Arabidopsis involving the MBW complex consisting of the R2R3 MYB protein GL1, the bHLH protein GL3, and the WD-repeat containing protein TTG1, which controls the expression of the downstream HD-ZIP transcription factor gene GL2 [7]. The GL1 homologous R2R3-MYB transcription factor genes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
