Institute of Cotton Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Anyang, 455000, Henan, China.
Hunan Institute of Cotton Science, Changde, 415101, Hunan, China.
Plant Cell Rep. 2024 Feb 6;43(2):58. doi: 10.1007/s00299-023-03137-z.
Comprehensive analysis of Gossypium ATG8 family indicates that GhATG8f could improve salt tolerance of cotton by increasing SOD, POD and CAT activity and proline accumulation. In plants, autophagy is regulated by several genes that play important roles in initiating and controlling the process. ATG8, functioning as a protein similar to ubiquitin, is involved in crucial tasks throughout the autophagosome formation process. In this research, we conducted an extensive and all-encompassing investigation of 64 ATG8 genes across four varieties of cotton. According to the subcellular localization prediction results, 49 genes were found in the cytoplasm, 6 genes in the chloroplast, 1 gene in the peroxisome, 5 genes in the nucleus, and 3 genes in the extracellular region. Phylogenetic analysis categorized a total of 5 subfamilies containing sixty-four ATG8 genes. The expression of the majority of GhATG8 genes was induced by salt, drought, cold, and heat stresses, as revealed by RNA-seq and real-time PCR. Analysis of cis-elements in the promoters of GhATG8 genes revealed the predominant presence of responsive elements for plant hormones and abiotic stress, suggesting that GhATG8 genes might have significant functions in abiotic stress response. Furthermore, we additionally performed a gene interaction network analysis for the GhATG8 proteins. The salt stress resistance of cotton was reduced due to the downregulation of GhATG8f expression, resulting in decreased activity of CAT, SOD, and POD enzymes, as well as decreased fresh weight and proline accumulation. In summary, our research is the initial exploration of ATG8 gene components in cotton, providing a basis for future investigations into the regulatory mechanisms of ATG8 genes in autophagy and their response to abiotic stress.
综合分析棉属 ATG8 家族表明，GhATG8f 可以通过增加 SOD、POD 和 CAT 活性和脯氨酸积累来提高棉花的耐盐性。在植物中，自噬受几个在起始和控制过程中起重要作用的基因调节。ATG8 作为一种类似于泛素的蛋白质，参与自噬体形成过程中的关键任务。在这项研究中，我们对四种棉花品种的 64 个 ATG8 基因进行了广泛而全面的研究。根据亚细胞定位预测结果，发现 49 个基因位于细胞质中，6 个基因位于叶绿体中，1 个基因位于过氧化物酶体中，5 个基因位于细胞核中，3 个基因位于细胞外区。系统发育分析总共将 64 个 ATG8 基因分为 5 个子家族。大多数 GhATG8 基因的表达受盐、干旱、寒冷和热胁迫的诱导，这是通过 RNA-seq 和实时 PCR 揭示的。对 GhATG8 基因启动子中顺式元件的分析表明，植物激素和非生物胁迫的响应元件占主导地位，这表明 GhATG8 基因可能在非生物胁迫反应中具有重要功能。此外，我们还对 GhATG8 蛋白进行了基因互作网络分析。由于 GhATG8f 表达下调，棉花的耐盐性降低，导致 CAT、SOD 和 POD 酶活性降低，鲜重和脯氨酸积累减少。总之，我们的研究是对棉花 ATG8 基因组成的初步探索，为未来研究自噬中 ATG8 基因的调控机制及其对非生物胁迫的响应提供了基础。
