Abstract
Plant architecture, including branching pattern, is an important agronomic trait of cotton crops. In recent years, strigolactones (SLs) have been considered important plant hormones that regulate branch development. In some species such as Arabidopsis, DWARF14 is an unconventional receptor that plays an important role in the SL signaling pathway. However, studies on SL receptors in cotton are still lacking. Here, we cloned and analysed the structure of the GbD14 gene in Gossypium barbadense and found that it contains the domains necessary for a SL receptor. The GbD14 gene was expressed primarily in the roots, leaves and vascular bundles, and the GbD14 protein was determined via GFP to localize to the cytoplasm and nucleus. Gene expression analysis revealed that the GbD14 gene not only responded to SL signals but also was differentially expressed between cotton plants whose types of branching differed. In particular, GbD14 was expressed mainly in the axillary buds of normal-branching cotton, while it was expressed the most in the leaves of nulliplex-branch cotton. In cotton, the GbD14 gene can be induced by SL and other plant hormones, such as indoleacetic acid, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid. Compared with wild-type Arabidopsis, GbD14-overexpressing Arabidopsis responded more rapidly to SL signals. Moreover, we also found that GbD14 can rescue the multi-branched phenotype of Arabidopsis Atd14 mutants. Our results indicate that the function of GbD14 is similar to that of AtD14, and GbD14 may be a receptor for SL in cotton and involved in regulating branch development. This research provides a theoretical basis for a profound understanding of the molecular mechanism of branch development and ideal plant architecture for cotton breeding improvements.
Highlights
Cotton is one of the most important economic crops
The results of our studies showed that GbD14 may be a SL receptor that responds to SL signals in cotton
The GbD14 protein has the conserved domain necessary for a SL receptor, and the GbD14 gene can be induced by GR24
Summary
Cotton is one of the most important economic crops. The architecture of cotton plants is determined primarily by their shoot branching patterns and flowering patterns, both of which directly affect cotton planting strategies, yield, planting area, mechanized harvesting suitability, and cotton planting costs (Reinhardt & Kuhlemeier, 2002; Sun et al, 2016). Research on plant architecture includes many aspects, among which branching development represents an important avenue of plant architecture research (Sun et al, 2018). Branch development is affected by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors, including various hormones (Agharkar et al, 2007; Hayward et al, 2009; Lo et al, 2008), light (Leduc et al, 2014), and sugars (Granot, David-Schwartz & Kelly, 2013; Smeekens et al, 2010). Program on Crop Stress Biology (111 Project), and the State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology Open Fund (CB2017A12). Grant Disclosures The following grant information was disclosed by the authors: National Key Research and Development Program of China: 2018YFD0100304 and 2016YFD0101900. State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology Open Fund: CB2017A12
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