Ethylene mediated regulation of fiber development in Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.)

Cotton fiber is single-celled seed trichome, which undergoes considerable changes prior to becoming spinnable. An array of biological pathways are known to be involved during fiber development with production of phytohormones being one of the major ones. We investigated the role of ethylene during fibre development in cotton and its correlation with fibre length. Tissue specific expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) in six medium long to long-linted Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) genotypes was higher in ovules as compared to subtending leaves of bolls. Temporal expression analysis of the same revealed their involvement in early fiber elongation stage rather than fiber initiation stage. A positive correlation (0.84) was established between the amount of ethylene and fiber length of the respective genotypes, wherein, genotypic variation of ethylene may determine the final fiber length. Further, the role of two candidate genes; BONZAI and PEX1 involved in H2O2 and other ROS homeostasis during fibre development was confirmed and re-validated in G. arboreum. (c) 2020 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.