Pu Li, Li Qun, Fan Xiaoping, Yang Weicai, Xue Yongbiao
Institute of Cotton Research, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yuncheng 044000, Shanxi Province, China.
Genetics. 2008 Oct;180(2):811-20. doi: 10.1534/genetics.108.093070. Epub 2008 Sep 9.
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers are single highly elongated cells derived from the outer epidermis of ovules. A large number of genes are required for fiber differentiation and development, but so far, little is known about how these genes control and regulate the process of fiber development. Here we examine the role of the cotton-fiber-specific R2R3 MYB gene GhMYB109 in cotton fiber development. Transgenic reporter gene analysis revealed that a 2-kb GhMYB109 promoter was sufficient to confirm its fiber-specific expression. Antisense-mediated suppression of GhMYB109 led to a substantial reduction in fiber length. Consistently, several genes related to cotton fiber growth were found to be significantly reduced in the transgenic cotton. Our results showed that GhMYB109 is required for cotton fiber development and reveal a largely conserved mechanism of the R2R3 MYB transcription factor in cell fate determination in plants.
棉花（陆地棉）纤维是源自胚珠外表皮的单个高度伸长的细胞。纤维分化和发育需要大量基因，但迄今为止，对于这些基因如何控制和调节纤维发育过程知之甚少。在此，我们研究了棉花纤维特异性R2R3 MYB基因GhMYB109在棉花纤维发育中的作用。转基因报告基因分析表明，一个2 kb的GhMYB109启动子足以证实其纤维特异性表达。反义介导的GhMYB109抑制导致纤维长度大幅缩短。同样，在转基因棉花中发现几个与棉花纤维生长相关的基因显著减少。我们的结果表明，GhMYB109是棉花纤维发育所必需的，并揭示了R2R3 MYB转录因子在植物细胞命运决定中很大程度上保守的机制。
