Abstract
BackgroundCotton fibers are single-celled extensions of the seed epidermis, a model tissue for studying cytoskeleton. Tubulin genes play a critical role in synthesizing the microtubules (MT) as a core element of the cytoskeleton. However, there is a lack of studies concerning the systematic characterization of the tubulin gene family in cotton. Therefore, the identification and portrayal of G. hirsutum tubulin genes can provide key targets for molecular manipulation in cotton breeding.ResultIn this study, we investigated all tubulin genes from different plant species and identified 98 tubulin genes in G. hirsutum. Phylogenetic analysis showed that tubulin family genes were classified into three subfamilies. The protein motifs and gene structure of α-, β-tubulin genes are more conserved compared with γ-tubulin genes. Most tubulin genes are located at the proximate ends of the chromosomes. Spatiotemporal expression pattern by transcriptome and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that 12 α-tubulin and 7 β-tubulin genes are specifically expressed during different fiber development stages. However, Gh.A03G027200, Gh.D03G169300, and Gh.A11G258900 had differential expression patterns at distinct stages of fiber development in varieties J02508 and ZRI015.ConclusionIn this study, the evolutionary analysis showed that the tubulin genes were divided into three clades. The genetic structures and molecular functions were highly conserved in different plants. Three candidate genes, Gh.A03G027200, Gh.D03G169300, and Gh.A11G258900 may play a key role during fiber development complementing fiber length and strength.
Highlights
The production of upland cotton (G. hirsutum) accounts for a significant proportion of global cotton production
The results showed that the loss of tubulin genes did not happen in the allotetraploid G. hirsutum and G. barbadense, and some tubulin genes had been extended in G. hirsutum
Combining the transcriptome expression of tubulin genes in J02508 and ZRI015, we find that some α, β-tubulins were explicitly expressed in fiber development stages, while the γtubulin genes showed low expression levels in all tissues
Summary
The production of upland cotton (G. hirsutum) accounts for a significant proportion of global cotton production. Upland cotton is a highly yielding fiber source, it is pertinent to improve the fiber quality to meet the industrial demand (Su et al 2018). The development of cotton fiber can be delineated into four distinct overlapping stages: fiber initiation, elongation, secondary wall synthesis, and maturation. It is a highly revised, basic biological process (Gao et al 2007; Wang et al 2017). Many studies have shown that the actin and tubulin genes play a critical role in the cytoskeleton synthesis and cotton fiber elongation (Pydiura et al 2019; Li et al 2005). The identification and portrayal of G. hirsutum tubulin genes can provide key targets for molecular manipulation in cotton breeding
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