College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Application and Safety Control of Genetically Modified Crops, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 19;25(20):11242. doi: 10.3390/ijms252011242.
Cotton fiber is one of the most important natural fiber sources in the world, and lipid metabolism plays a critical role in its development. However, the specific role of lipid molecules in fiber development and the impact of fatty acid alterations on fiber quality remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the downregulation of , a gene encoding phosphatidylcholine diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PDCT), results in an improvement of fiber fineness. We found that downregulation significantly increases the proportion of linoleic acid (18:2) in cotton fibers, which subsequently upregulates genes encoding small heat shock proteins (sHSPs). This, in turn, reduces HO production, thus delaying secondary wall deposition and leading to finer fibers. Our findings reveal how alterations in linoleic acid influence cellulose synthesis and suggest a potential strategy to improve cotton fiber quality by regulating lipid metabolism pathways.
棉纤维是世界上最重要的天然纤维来源之一，脂质代谢在其发育过程中起着关键作用。然而，脂质分子在纤维发育中的具体作用以及脂肪酸的改变对纤维质量的影响在很大程度上仍然未知。在这项研究中，我们证明了下调编码磷脂酰胆碱二酰甘油胆碱磷酸转移酶（PDCT）的基因的表达，可改善纤维的细度。我们发现下调显著增加了棉纤维中亚油酸（18:2）的比例，进而上调了编码小热休克蛋白（sHSPs）的基因。这反过来又降低了 HO 的产生，从而延迟了次生壁的沉积，导致纤维更细。我们的研究结果揭示了亚油酸的改变如何影响纤维素的合成，并提出了一种通过调节脂质代谢途径来改善棉花纤维质量的潜在策略。
