Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance

Abstract Background The COBRA-like (COBL) gene family is a crucial glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins that participate in various biological processes in plants by regulating the arrangement of cell wall microfibrils. While the functions of COBL genes have been analyzed in several...

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Main Authors: Wan-wan Fu, Zi-Yu Wang, Yun-Hao Liusui, Xin Zhang, Ai-Xia Han, Xing-Yue Zhong, Jing-Bo Zhang, Yan-Jun Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-12-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05965-x
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author Wan-wan Fu
Zi-Yu Wang
Yun-Hao Liusui
Xin Zhang
Ai-Xia Han
Xing-Yue Zhong
Jing-Bo Zhang
Yan-Jun Guo
author_facet Wan-wan Fu
Zi-Yu Wang
Yun-Hao Liusui
Xin Zhang
Ai-Xia Han
Xing-Yue Zhong
Jing-Bo Zhang
Yan-Jun Guo
author_sort Wan-wan Fu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The COBRA-like (COBL) gene family is a crucial glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins that participate in various biological processes in plants by regulating the arrangement of cell wall microfibrils. While the functions of COBL genes have been analyzed in several plant species, their roles in cotton’s response to abiotic stress remain unexplored. Results This study identified and characterized the COBL gene family in Gossypium hirsutum, revealing a total of 39 COBL family members classified into five subgroups. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the transcription levels of several GhCOBL genes were upregulated following PEG treatment, with GhCOBL22 being significantly induced. Further silencing of the GhCOBL22 gene through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology demonstrated that this gene’s silencing reduced cotton’s drought stress tolerance. Under drought stress conditions, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes, along with proline (PRO) content, were lower in GhCOBL22-silenced plants compared to control plants, while the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly higher. Moreover, silencing the GhCOBL22 gene also led to reductions in the levels of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content in cotton leaves. Conclusion A systematic survey of gene structure, motif composition, and evolutionary relationships of the COBL gene family was conducted in Gossypium hirsutum. Subsequent expression and functional studies indicated that GhCOBL22 plays a significant role in cotton’s drought tolerance. These findings enhance our understanding of the biological functions of the COBL family and highlight the critical role of the GhCOBL22 gene in cotton’s response to drought stress.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1471-2229
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-763ca4770cde42f1a0ff7a7303ec6a1f2024-12-29T12:15:01ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292024-12-0124111410.1186/s12870-024-05965-xGenome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought toleranceWan-wan Fu0Zi-Yu Wang1Yun-Hao Liusui2Xin Zhang3Ai-Xia Han4Xing-Yue Zhong5Jing-Bo Zhang6Yan-Jun Guo7Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityXinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal UniversityAbstract Background The COBRA-like (COBL) gene family is a crucial glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins that participate in various biological processes in plants by regulating the arrangement of cell wall microfibrils. While the functions of COBL genes have been analyzed in several plant species, their roles in cotton’s response to abiotic stress remain unexplored. Results This study identified and characterized the COBL gene family in Gossypium hirsutum, revealing a total of 39 COBL family members classified into five subgroups. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the transcription levels of several GhCOBL genes were upregulated following PEG treatment, with GhCOBL22 being significantly induced. Further silencing of the GhCOBL22 gene through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology demonstrated that this gene’s silencing reduced cotton’s drought stress tolerance. Under drought stress conditions, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes, along with proline (PRO) content, were lower in GhCOBL22-silenced plants compared to control plants, while the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly higher. Moreover, silencing the GhCOBL22 gene also led to reductions in the levels of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content in cotton leaves. Conclusion A systematic survey of gene structure, motif composition, and evolutionary relationships of the COBL gene family was conducted in Gossypium hirsutum. Subsequent expression and functional studies indicated that GhCOBL22 plays a significant role in cotton’s drought tolerance. These findings enhance our understanding of the biological functions of the COBL family and highlight the critical role of the GhCOBL22 gene in cotton’s response to drought stress.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05965-xCOBLCottonDrought stressBiological function
spellingShingle Wan-wan Fu
Zi-Yu Wang
Yun-Hao Liusui
Xin Zhang
Ai-Xia Han
Xing-Yue Zhong
Jing-Bo Zhang
Yan-Jun Guo
Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
BMC Plant Biology
COBL
Cotton
Drought stress
Biological function
title Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
title_full Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
title_fullStr Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
title_full_unstemmed Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
title_short Genome-wide analysis of the cotton COBRA-like gene family and functional characterization of GhCOBL22 in relation to drought tolerance
title_sort genome wide analysis of the cotton cobra like gene family and functional characterization of ghcobl22 in relation to drought tolerance
topic COBL
Cotton
Drought stress
Biological function
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05965-x
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