Chaofeng Wu1,2,3,4, Hailiang Cheng2, Shuyan Li1,4, Dongyun Zuo2, Zhongxu Lin3, Youping Zhang2, Limin Lv2, Qiaolian Wang2, Guoli Song5,6. 1. Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang, Henan, 455000, China. 2. Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan, 455000, China. 3. Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China. 4. Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, Henan, 455000, China. 5. Research Base, Anyang Institute of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang, Henan, 455000, China. songguoli@caas.cn. 6. Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan, 455000, China. songguoli@caas.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton) is one of the most economically important crops in the world due to its significant source of fiber, feed, foodstuff, oil and biofuel products. However, the utilization of cottonseed was limited due to the presence of small and darkly pigmented glands that contain large amounts of gossypol, which is toxic to human beings and non-ruminant animals. To date, some progress has been made in the pigment gland formation, but the underlying molecular mechanism of its formation was still unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we identified an AP2/ERF transcription factor named GhERF105 (GH_A12G2166), which was involved in the regulation of gland pigmentation by the comparative transcriptome analysis of the leaf of glanded and glandless plants. It encoded an ERF protein containing a converved AP2 domain which was localized in the nucleus with transcriptional activity, and showed the high expression in glanded cotton accessions that contained much gossypol. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) against GhERF105 caused the dramatic reduction in the number of glands and significantly lowered levels of gossypol in cotton leaves. GhERF105 showed the patterns of spatiotemporal and inducible expression in the glanded plants. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that GhERF105 contributes to the pigment gland formation and gossypol biosynthesis in partial organs of glanded plant. It also provides a potential molecular basis to generate 'glandless-seed' and 'glanded-plant' cotton cultivar.
BACKGROUND:Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton) is one of the most economically important crops in the world due to its significant source of fiber, feed, foodstuff, oil and biofuel products. However, the utilization of cottonseed was limited due to the presence of small and darkly pigmented glands that contain large amounts of gossypol, which is toxic to human beings and non-ruminant animals. To date, some progress has been made in the pigment gland formation, but the underlying molecular mechanism of its formation was still unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we identified an AP2/ERF transcription factor named GhERF105 (GH_A12G2166), which was involved in the regulation of gland pigmentation by the comparative transcriptome analysis of the leaf of glanded and glandless plants. It encoded an ERF protein containing a converved AP2 domain which was localized in the nucleus with transcriptional activity, and showed the high expression in glanded cotton accessions that contained much gossypol. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) against GhERF105 caused the dramatic reduction in the number of glands and significantly lowered levels of gossypol in cotton leaves. GhERF105 showed the patterns of spatiotemporal and inducible expression in the glanded plants. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that GhERF105 contributes to the pigment gland formation and gossypol biosynthesis in partial organs of glanded plant. It also provides a potential molecular basis to generate 'glandless-seed' and 'glanded-plant' cotton cultivar.
Authors: Nadine Bley; Ali Hmedat; Simon Müller; Robin Rolnik; Alexander Rausch; Marcell Lederer; Stefan Hüttelmaier Journal: Biology (Basel) Date: 2021-05-05