Abstract
BackgroundCotton fibre quality traits such as fibre length, strength, and degree of maturation are determined by genotype and environment during the sequential phases of cotton fibre development (cell elongation, transition to secondary cell wall construction and cellulose deposition). The cotton fibre middle lamella (CFML) is crucial for both cell adhesion and detachment processes occurring during fibre development. To explore the relationship between fibre quality and the pace at which cotton fibres develop, a structural and compositional analysis of the CFML was carried out in several cultivars with different fibre properties belonging to four commercial species: Gossypium hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. herbaceum and G. arboreum.ResultsCotton fibre cell adhesion, through the cotton fibre middle lamella (CFML), is a developmentally regulated process determined by genotype. The CFML is composed of de-esterified homogalacturonan, xyloglucan and arabinan in all four fibre-producing cotton species: G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. herbaceum and G. arboreum. Conspicuous paired cell wall bulges are a feature of the CFML of two G. hirsutum cultivars from the onset of fibre cell wall detachment to the start of secondary cell wall deposition. Xyloglucan is abundant in the cell wall bulges and in later stages pectic arabinan is absent from these regions.ConclusionsThe CFML of cotton fibres is re-structured during the transition phase. Paired cell wall bulges, rich in xyloglucan, are significantly more evident in the G. hirsutum cultivars than in other cotton species.
Highlights
Cotton fibre quality traits such as fibre length, strength, and degree of maturation are determined by genotype and environment during the sequential phases of cotton fibre development
Using immunochemistry techniques we have identified the polysaccharide arabinan to be part of the cotton fibre middle lamella (CFML) in addition to pectic HG and xyloglucan
Taken together these results suggest that the timings of cell adhesion and cell detachment mediated by the CFML are different between genotypes, potentially affecting fibre quality traits
Summary
Cotton fibre quality traits such as fibre length, strength, and degree of maturation are determined by genotype and environment during the sequential phases of cotton fibre development (cell elongation, transition to secondary cell wall construction and cellulose deposition). Considering that the flower ovary encloses 4 to 5 carpels (locules) which commonly contain 8 seeds (ovules) each it has been hypothesized that cotton fibres become adhered as a requirement in the highly packed environment inside the locule so that space can be optimised and high turgor pressure maintained during a Hernandez-Gomez et al BMC Plant Biology (2017) 17:69 coordinated fibre elongation phase. At this stage cotton fibres acquire a conical tip shape and elongate in adhered groups in a spiral-like manner [3, 4]
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