Molecular markers associated with the immature fiber (im) gene affecting the degree of fiber cell wall thickening in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton fiber fineness and maturity measured indirectly as micronaire (MIC) are important properties of determining fiber grades in the textile market. To understand the genetic control and molecular mechanisms of fiber fineness and maturity, we studied two near isogenic lines, Gossypium hirsutum, Texas Marker-1 wild type (TM-1) and immature fiber (im) mutant showing a significant difference in MIC values. The fibers from im mutant plants were finer and less mature with lower MIC values than those from the recurrent parent, TM-1. A comprehensive fiber property analysis of TM-1 and im mutant showed that the lower MIC of fibers in im mutant was due to the lower degree of fiber cell wall thickening as compared to the TM-1 fibers. Using an F₂ population comprising 366 progenies derived from a cross between TM-1 and im mutant, we confirmed that the immature fiber phenotype present in a mutant plant was controlled by one single recessive gene im. Furthermore, we identified 13 simple sequence repeat markers that were closely linked to the im gene located on chromosome 3. Molecular markers associated with the im gene will lay the foundation to further investigate genetic information required for improving cotton fiber fineness and maturity.     

Genome-wide identification of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) reveals GhMPK6 involved in fiber elongation

Plant Molecular Biology - Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are important in regulating plant development as well as stress response. In this study, we genome-widely identified 56 MAPK...     

Analysis of xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) genes from allotetraploid (Gossypium hirsutum) cotton and its diploid progenitors expressed during fiber elongation

Multiple cellular pathways have been shown to be involved during fiber initiation and elongation stages in the cultivated allotetraploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The cell wall enzymes xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolases (XTH) have been reported to be associated with the biosynthesis of the cell wall and the growth of cotton fibers, probably regulating the plasticity of the primary cell wall. Among various cotton fiber cDNAs found to be preferentially expressed in cotton fibers, a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XTH) cDNA was significantly up-regulated during the elongation stage of cotton fiber development. In the present study, we isolated and characterized genomic clones encoding cotton XTH from cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and its diploid progenitors (Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium raimondii), designated GhXTH1-1, GhXTH1-2, GaXTH1 and GrXTH, respectively. In addition, we isolated and characterized, by in silico methods, the putative promoter of XTH1 from Gossypium hirsutum. Sequence analysis revealed more than 50% homology to XTH's at the protein level. DNA gel blot hybridization indicated that at least two copies of GhXTH1 are present in Gossypium hirsutum whereas the diploid progenitor species Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium raimondii has only a single copy. Quantitative real-time PCR and high-resolution melting experiments indicated that in Gossypium hirsutum cultivars, in cotton fibers during early stages of fiber elongation specifically expressing only the GhXTH1-1 gene and expression levels of GhXTH1-1 in fibers varies among cultivars differing in fiber percentage and fiber length.     

Autolysis in vitro of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibre cell walls

Root growth of partly defoliated young peach seedlings [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. cv. Lovell] was significantly promoted by application of myo-inositol to the cut surface of the stem. Addition of benzylaminopurine (BA) combined with sucrose enhanced the promotive effect of myo-inositol on root growth, but addition of sucrose alone, suppressed it. Spraying rooted peach cuttings (nectarine cv. Sunred) with myo-inositol and defoliating them after 5 days increased the incorporation of amino acids into proteins in excised roots, obtained from the sprayed plants, as compared with roots from plants sprayed with water, or sucrose, or sucrose + myo-inositol. Myo-inositol applied in combination with kinetin or BA to stems of young peach seedlings (cv. Lovell) or rooted peach cuttings (cv. Almog) promoted the basipctal translocation of the two cytokinins in the stem and acropetally into the small lateral roots. Addition of sucrose voided this effect on the cytokinins. BA, when applied together with myo-inositol, was partly converted into an additional cytokinin-active compound in the roots.
Application of BA to either roots or tops of rooted peach cuttings (cv. Almog) resulted in the accumulation of myo-inositol (supplied through the cut surface of the stem) in the plant part to which BA had been applied.     

Phytochrome inhibits the effectiveness of gibberellins to induce cell elongation in rice

Red light controls cell elongation in seedlings of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a far-red-reversible manner (Nick and Furuya, 1993, Plant Growth Regul. 12, 195–206). The role of gibberellins and microtubules in the transduction of this response was investigated in the rice cultivars Nihon Masari (japonica type) and Kasarath (indica type). The dose dependence of mesocotyl elongation on applied gibberellic acid (GA₃) was shifted by red light, and this shift was reversed by far-red light. In contrast, coleoptile elongation was found to be independent of exogenous GA₃. Nevertheless, it was inhibited by red light, and this inhibition was reversed by far-red light. The content of the active gibberellin species GA₁ and GA₄ was estimated by radio-immunoassay. In the mesocotyl, the gibberellin content per cell was found to increase after irradiation with red light, and this increase was far-red reversible. Conversely, the cellular gibberellin content in japonica-type coleoptiles did not exhibit any significant light response. Microtubules reoriented from transverse to longitudinal arrays in response to red light and this reorientation could be reversed by subsequent far-red light in both the coleoptile and the mesocotyl. This movement was accompanied by changes in cell-wall birefringence, indicating parallel reorientations of cellulose deposition. The data indicate that phytochrome regulates the sensitivity of the tissue towards gibberellins, that gibberellin synthesis is controlled in a negative-feedback loop dependent on gibberellin effectiveness, and that at least two hormone-triggered signal chains are linked to the cytoskeleton in rice.Abbreviations D darkness - FR far-red light - GA₃ gibberellic acid - GC-SIM gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring - R red light This work was supported by a grant of the Human Frontier Science Organization to P.N. Advice and organizational support by Prof. M. Furuya (Hitachi Advanced Research Laboratory, Hatoyama, Japan) and Prof. N. Murofushi (Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Japan) is gratefully acknowledged. Seeds of both rice cultivars were kindly provided by Dr. O. Yatou (Institute for Radiation Breeding, Hitachi-Ohmiya, Japan), and the antiGA₁ Me-antiserum for the radio-immunoassays by Dr. I. Yamaguchi (Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Japan).     

Changes in the level of tubulin subunits during development of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber

The levels of tubulin protein in developing cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Stoneville 825) fibers were measured from 8 to 28 days post-anthesis using commercially available monoclonal antibodies against alpha- and beta-tubulin. As the monoclonal antibodies against alpha- and beta-tubulin were prepared from yeast tubulin and chick brain tubulin, respectively, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy was used to establish that the two monoclonal antibodies recognized microtubule structures in cotton fibers. Western blots of electrophoretically separated proteins in crude extracts of cotton roots and fibers showed that single polypeptides with the expected apparent molecular weight for tubulin subunits were recognized by the antisera. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify tubulin levels. From 10 to 20 days post-anthesis the level of tubulin protein increases approximately three-fold. After 20 days post-anthesis, the amount of tubulin relative to total fiber protein reaches a plateau or decreases slightly. The rapid rise in tubulin is correlated with the elongation of the fiber and an increase in cellulose synthesis.     

Response of the enzymes to nitrogen applications in cotton fiber (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and their relationships with fiber strength

To investigate the response of key enzymes to nitrogen (N) rates in cotton fiber and its relationship with fiber strength, experiments were conducted in 2005 and 2006 with cotton cultivars in Nanjing. Three N rates 0, 240 and 480 kgN/hm2, signifying optimum and excessive nitrogen application levels were applied.The activities and the gene expressions of the key enzymes were affected by N, and the characteristics of cellulose accumulation and fiber strength changed as the N rate varied. Beta-1,3-glucanase activity in cotton fiber declined from 9 DPA till boll opening, and the beta-1, 3-glucanase coding gene expression also followed a unimodal curve in 12—24 DPA. In 240 kgN/hm² condition, the characteristics of enzyme activity and gene expression manner for sucrose synthase and beta-1,3-glucanase in developing cotton fiber were more favorable for forming a longer and more steady cellulose accumulation process, and for high strength fiber development.     

Proteomics profiling of fiber development and domestication in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Comparative proteomic analyses were performed to detail the evolutionary consequences of strong directional selection for enhanced fiber traits in modern upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Using two complementary proteomic approaches, 2-DE and iTRAQ LC–MS/MS, fiber proteomes were examined for four representative stages of fiber development. Approximately 1,000 protein features were characterized using each strategy, collectively resulting in the identification and functional categorization of 1,223 proteins. Unequal contributions of homoeologous proteins were detected for over a third of the fiber proteome, but overall expression was balanced with respect to the genome-of-origin in the allopolyploid G. hirsutum. About 30 % of the proteins were differentially expressed during fiber development within wild and domesticated cotton. Notably, domestication was accompanied by a doubling of protein developmental dynamics for the period between 10 and 20 days following pollination. Expression levels of 240 iTRAQ proteins and 293 2-DE spots were altered by domestication, collectively representing multiple cellular and metabolic processes, including metabolism, energy, protein synthesis and destination, defense and stress response. Analyses of homoeolog-specific expression indicate that duplicated gene products in cotton fibers can be differently regulated in response to selection. These results demonstrate the power of proteomics for the analysis of crop domestication and phenotypic evolution.     

Low temperature and light regulate delta 12 fatty acid desaturases (FAD2) at a transcriptional level in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Lipid modifying enzymes play a key role in the development of cold stress tolerance in cold-resistant plants such as cereals. However, little is known about the role of the endogenous enzymes in cold-sensitive species such as cotton. Delta 12 fatty acid desaturases (FAD2), known to participate in adaptation to low temperatures through acyl chain modifications were used in gene expression studies in order to identify parameters of plant response to low temperatures. The induction of microsomal delta 12 fatty acid desaturases at an mRNA level under cold stress in plants is shown here for first time. Quantitative PCR showed that though both delta 12 omega 6 fatty acid desaturase genes FAD2-3 and FAD2-4 identified in cotton are induced under cold stress, FAD2-4 induction is significantly higher than FAD2-3. The induction of both isoforms was light regulated, in contrast a third isoform FAD2-2 was not affected by cold or light. Stress tolerance and light regulatory elements were identified in the predicted promoters of both FAD2-3 and FAD2-4 genes. Di-unsaturated fatty acid species rapidly increased in the microsomal fraction isolated from cotton leaves, following cold stress. Expression analysis patterns were correlated with the observed increase in both total and microsomal fatty acid unsaturation levels suggesting the direct role of the FAD2 genes in membrane adaptation to cold stress.     

Isolation and characterization of terpene synthases in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Cotton plants accumulate gossypol and related sesquiterpene aldehydes, which function as phytoalexins against pathogens and feeding deterrents to herbivorous insects. However, to date little is known about the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes in this crop. Herein is reported that 5 monoterpenes and 11 sesquiterpenes from extracts of a glanded cotton cultivar, Gossypium hirsutum cv. CCRI12, were detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). By EST data mining combined with Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE), full-length cDNAs of three terpene synthases (TPSs), GhTPS1, GhTPS2 and GhTPS3 were isolated. By in vitro assays of the recombinant proteins, it was found that GhTPS1 and GhTPS2 are sesquiterpene synthases: the former converted farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) into β-caryophyllene and α-humulene in a ratio of 2:1, whereas the latter produced several sesquiterpenes with guaia-1(10),11-diene as the major product. By contrast, GhTPS3 is a monoterpene synthase, which produced α-pinene, β-pinene, β-phellandrene and trace amounts of other monoterpenes from geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP). The TPS activities were also supported by Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in the cotton plant. GhTPS1 and GhTPS3 were highly expressed in the cotton plant overall, whereas GhTPS2 was expressed only in leaves. When stimulated by mechanical wounding, Verticillium dahliae (Vde) elicitor or methyl jasmonate (MeJA), production of terpenes and expression of the corresponding synthase genes were induced. These data demonstrate that the three genes account for the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes of cotton, at least of this Upland cotton.     

Inheritance of the fuzzless-lintless character in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Summary A fuzzless-lintless mutant was identified in MCU.5 (Gossypium hirsutum) cotton in 1984. The inheritance of this character is reported in this paper. The fuzzless-lintless mutant was crossed with fuzzy-linted parents viz. MCU.5, MCU.7, Express Sindh (W), Piedmont Cleveland and Sindis Wild and the segregation pattern was studied in F₂ and BC₁F₁ generations. The segregation ratios for fuzzy-linted and fuzzless-lintless were 151 in the first cross, 631 in the second, third and fourth crosses and 2551 in the fifth cross. These ratios indicated that this character is controlled by 2–4 gene pairs, and the fuzzless-lintless character is a recessive to fuzzy-linted character. The chi-square test was significant only in the BC₁F₁ generation with MCU.7 and Express Sindh (W). The test revealed that the observed values deviated significantly from the expected ratio of 71, suggesting that this character is also influenced by modifier gene complex.