Project description:Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibres are specialised trichomes that extend from the seedcoat. To date only a few genes directly involved in the differentiation of these epidermal cells have been identified. We have identified a HD-ZIP transcription factor, GhHD-1, expressed in trichomes and early fibres that might play a role in cotton fibre initiation. Here we characterise GhHD-1 from G. hirsutum and show, using reporter constructs and qRT-PCR, that they are expressed predominantly in epidermal tissues during early fibre development and in other tissues bearing epidermal trichomes. GhHD-1 silencing caused reduced trichome formation and delayed the timing of fibre initiation whereas constitutive over-expression of GhHD-1 increased the number of fibres initiating on the seed, but did not affect leaf trichomes. Expression of GhHD-1 in transgenic cotton silenced for different fibre MYBs suggest that in ovules it acts downstream of GhMYB25-like. Microarray analysis of silencing and over-expression lines of GhHD-1 indicated that it potentially functions through a WRKY transcription factor and calcium-signalling pathway genes that are shared with some biotic stress reactions. Microarray analysis of 2 biological replicates each of GhHD-1 silenced and over-expression transgenic lines relative to wild-type were used to identify downstream targets of this transcription factor during early fibre development. 0 dpa (Days post anthesis) ovules from GhHD-1 silenced and over-expression lines and wild-type cotton plants were selected for RNA extraction and hybridisation on Affymetrix cotton arrays. Cotton fibre development initiates on the epidermal surface of each ovule within a cotton boll on the day of flowering and GhHD-1 has been shown to be most highly expressed at this stage (0 dpa). Ovules were obtained from 0dpa flowers for hybridisation to cotton arrays to identify genes that may be regulated by GhHD-1 during this early fibre development stage (initiation).
Project description:A cDNA library from 0-10 day post anthesis cotton ovules was established to study genes expressed in cotton ovule during initiation and quickly elongation period. We randomly sequenced over 100,000 ESTs from this library and acquired a gene pool of more than 28,000 UniESTs. The cotton UniESTs were then PCR-amplified and printed onto microarray. This array is comprised of about 28000 high-quality cotton cDNAs (with average length>750bp) and external controls. To study the different growth potential of cotton fibers in a one-year cycle, we then hybridized the array with RNA samples derived from +7 DPA wild-type upland cotton fibers in four different seasons, respectively.
Project description:Transcriptome analysis in cotton during fibre development stages. To study the molecular response of drought stress in cotton under field condition global gene expression analysis was carried out at fibre development stages (0, 5, 10 and 20 dpa/Days post anthesis). Gossypium hirsutum cv. Bikaneri Nerma was used for the gene expression analysis. Cotton plants were subjected to drought stress at peak flowering stage. Samples were collected when the soil moisture content was 19.5% which is 50% of the normal control plots. Gene expression profiles in drought induced and their respective control samples were analyzed using Affymertix cotton Genechip Genome arrays to study the global changes in the expression of genome. Total RNA was isolated from 0 dpa, 5 dpa, fibre bearing ovules of 10 dpa, and fibre bearing ovules of 20 dpa. Samples were collected from both drought induced and control plants. Biotin labeled cRNA was hybridized on Affymertix cotton Genechip Genome array following the Affymetrix protocols. Three biological replicates were maintained.