Abstract
Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) is a key enzyme in plant glycerol synthesis and metabolism, and plays an important role in plant resistance to abiotic stress. Here, we identified 6, 7, 14 and 14 GPDH genes derived from Gossypium arboreum, Gossypium raimondii, Gossypium barbadense and Gossypium hirsutum, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis assigned these genes into three classes, and most of the genes within the family were expanded by whole-genome duplication (WGD) and segmental duplications. Moreover, determination of the nonsynonymous substitution rate/synonymous substitution rate (Ka/Ks) ratio showed that the GPDH had an evolutionary preference for purifying selection. Transcriptome data revealed that GPDH genes were more active in the early stages of fiber development. Additionally, numerous stress-related cis-elements were identified in the potential promoter region. Then, a protein–protein-interaction (PPI) network of GPDH5 in G. hirsutum was constructed. In addition, we predicted 30 underlying miRNAs in G. hirsutum. Functional validation results indicated that silencing GhGPDH5 diminished drought tolerance in the upland cotton TM-1 line. In summary, this study provides a fundamental understanding of the GPDH gene family in cotton, GhGPDH5 exerts a positive effect during drought stress and is potentially involved in stomatal closure movements.
Highlights
IntroductionAbiotic stress includes low temperatures, high temperatures, drought, salinity and flooding, which are detrimental to their growth and development, leading to injury, damage and death
Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) genes were renamed GaGPDH1~GaGPDH6, GbGPDH1~GbGPDH14, GhGPDH1~GhGPDH14 and GrGPDH1~GrGPDH7 according to their chromosomal positions
At least 1 gene was classified in each group of the four cotton species, indicating no significant deviations during the rapid evolution of cotton. These findings suggested that the evolutionary development of the GPDH family in cotton was highly consistent with that in Arabidopsis
Summary
Abiotic stress includes low temperatures, high temperatures, drought, salinity and flooding, which are detrimental to their growth and development, leading to injury, damage and death. These harsh growing conditions have led to significant reductions in crop yields, with drought alone affecting 45% of the world’s agricultural land [1,2]. The world’s population is increasing rapidly and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 [3] In light of such a massive population size, areas that produce crops under severe weather must substantially increase their yields, and the crops produced must adapt to the climate. Further research on adaptive crops is necessary to maintain world agricultural production [4]
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