Genome-wide analysis elucidates the roles of GhHMA genes in different abiotic stresses and fiber development in upland cotton

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry 2023-01, Vol.194, p.281-301
• Main Authors: Wu, Cuicui, Xiao, Shuiping, Zuo, Dongyun, Cheng, Hailiang, Zhang, Youping, Wang, Qiaolian, Lv, Limin, Song, Guoli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; biochemistry; cotton; Cotton Fiber; domain; Exons; family; Fiber development; Function; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genome, Plant - genetics; genome-wide association study; GhHMAs; Gossypium - genetics; Gossypium - metabolism; Gossypium hirsutum; Gossypium L; heavy metals; Interaction protein; Introns; leaves; Metals, Heavy - metabolism; Multigene Family; Phylogeny; plant physiology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; plasma membrane; salt stress; salt tolerance; stress response; Stress, Physiological - genetics; transcriptomics; trichomes; two hybrid system techniques
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.11.022

The heavy metal-binding domain is involved in heavy metal transporting and plays a significant role in plant detoxification. However, the functions of HMAs are less well known in cotton. In this study, a total of 143 GhHMAs (heavy metal-binding domain) were detected by genome-wide identification in G. hirsutum L. All the GhHMAs were classified into four groups via phylogenetic analysis. The exon/intron structure and protein motifs indicated that each branch of the GhHMA genes was highly conserved. 212 paralogous GhHMA gene pairs were identified, and the segmental duplications were the main role to the expansion of GhHMAs. The Ka/Ks values suggested that the GhHMA gene family has undergone purifying selection during the long-term evolutionary process. GhHMA3 and GhHMA75 were located in the plasma membrane, while GhHMA26, GhHMA117 and GhHMA121 were located in the nucleus, respectively. Transcriptomic data and qRT-PCR showed that GhHMA26 exhibited different expression patterns in each tissue and during fiber development or under different abiotic stresses. Overexpressing GhHMA26 significantly promoted the elongation of leaf trichomes and also improved the tolerance to salt stress. Therefore, GhHMA26 may positively regulate fiber elongation and abiotic stress. Yeast two-hybrid assays indicated that GhHMA26 and GhHMA75 participated in multiple biological functions. Our results suggest some genes in the GhHMAs might be associated with fiber development and the abiotic stress response, which could promote further research involving functional analysis of GhHMA genes in cotton. •The cotton GhHMA gene family was systematically analyzed and compared.•The expression patterns of GhHMAs were analyzed by transcriptome data and qRT-PCR.•GhHMA3 and GhHMA75 were located in plasma membrane, while GhHMA26, GhHMA117 and GhHMA121 in nucleus.•The gene function of GhHMA26 was identified.•Y2H assays revealed the potential molecular mechanism of GhHMA26 and GhHMA75.