Multi-Omics-Based Identification and Functional Characterization of Gh_A06G1257 Proves Its Potential Role in Drought Stress Tolerance in Gossypium hirsutum

Abstract

Cotton is one of the most important fiber crops globally. Despite this, various abiotic stresses, including drought, cause yield losses. We used transcriptome profiles to investigate the co-expression patterns of gene networks associated with drought stress tolerance. We identified three gene modules containing 3,567 genes highly associated with drought stress tolerance. Within these modules, we identified 13 hub genes based on intramodular significance, for further validation. The yellow module has five hub genes (Gh_A07G0563, Gh_D05G0221, Gh_A05G3716, Gh_D12G1438, and Gh_D05G0697), the brown module contains three hub genes belonging to the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) gene family (Gh_A06G1257, Gh_A06G1256, and Gh_D06G1578), and the pink module has five hub genes (Gh_A02G1616, Gh_D12G2599, Gh_D07G2232, Gh_A02G0527, and Gh_D07G0629). Based on RT-qPCR results, the Gh_A06G1257 gene has the highest expression under drought stress in different plant tissues and it might be the true candidate gene linked to drought stress tolerance in cotton. Silencing of Gh_A06G1257 in cotton leaves conferred significant sensitivity in response to drought stress treatments. Overexpression of Gh_A06G1257 in Arabidopsis also confirms its role in drought stress tolerance. L-valine, Glutaric acid, L-proline, L-Glutamic acid, and L-Tryptophan were found to be the most significant metabolites playing roles in drought stress tolerance. These findings add significantly to existing knowledge of drought stress tolerance mechanisms in cotton.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis Elucidates the Potential Role of PFK Gene Family in Drought Stress Tolerance and Sugar Metabolism in Cotton

“…The seeds of three cotton species were obtained from the Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences ( Mehari et al, 2021a ). The seeds were soaked in water overnight.…”

Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis of Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) Seed Pretreatment with MgSO4 in Response to Salinity Stress

“…Multiple studies have been conducted on cotton based on its salt tolerance ability by utilizing quantitative trait loci (QTL) by linkage mapping and genome-wide association studies. Little work on the transcriptomic and metabolomic aspects has been conducted yet [56][57][58]. Several QTL or genes were discovered by scientists in previous studies on the salt tolerance mechanism of cotton [55,59,60].…”

Overexpression of cotton GhNAC072 gene enhances drought and salt stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

“…The expression levels of four abiotic stress-responsive genes were explored for GhNAC072 by PCR using specific gene primers to further explore the function of GhNAC072 under conditions of exposure to drought and salinity stress in cotton. The four stress responsive genes include ABF4 , SOS1 , RAB18 , and RD22 [ 52 ]. Specific primers for these genes were designed using NCBI ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ ) database (Table S 2 ).…”