摘要
Optimal plant height is crucial in modern agriculture, influencing lodging resistance and facilitating mechanized crop production. Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important fiber crop globally;however, the genetic basis underlying plant height remains largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study to identify a major locus controlling plant height (PH1) in upland cotton. This locus encodes gibberellin 2-oxidase 1A (GhPH1) and features a 1133-bp structural variation (PAVPH1) located approximately 16 kb upstream. The presence or absence of PAVPH1 influences the expression of GhPH1, thereby affecting plant height. Further analysis revealed that a gibberellin-regulating transcription factor (GhGARF) recognizes and binds to a specific CATTTG motif in both the GhPH1 promoter and PAVPH1. This interaction downregulates GhPH1, indicating that PAVPH1 functions as a distant upstream silencer. Intriguingly, we found that DWARF53 (D53), a key repressor of the strigolactone (SL) signaling pathway, directly interacts with GhGARF to inhibit its binding to targets. Moreover, we identified a previously unrecognized gibberellin-SL crosstalk mechanism mediated by the GhD53-GhGARF-GhPH1/PAVPH1 module, which is crucial for regulating plant height in upland cotton. These findings shed light on the genetic basis and gene interaction network underlying plant height, providing valuable insights for the development of semi-dwarf cotton varieties through precise modulation of GhPH1 expression.
基金
funded by The National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant nos.2021YFF1000101 to S.H.and 2022YFD1200300 to X.D.)
the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.32122062 to S.H.)
the Agricultural Science,Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology research project(grant no.232102111076).
