Zhang Hu, Zhang Wen, Tang Yu, Guo Yuantao, Wang Jinsheng, Gao Wenju, Zeng Qingtao, Chen Quanjia, Chen Qin
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China.
The 7th Division of Agricultural Sciences Institute, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Kuitun 833200, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 May 8;14(10):1407. doi: 10.3390/plants14101407.
Cotton, as a globally important fiber crop, is significantly affected by drought stress during production. This study uses the drought-resistant variety Jin and the drought-sensitive variety TM-1 as test materials. Through multi-period drought stress treatments at 0 d, 7 d, 10 d, 15 d, and 25 d, combined with dynamic monitoring of physiological indicators, RNA sequencing, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis, the molecular mechanism of cotton drought resistance is systematically analyzed. Dynamic monitoring of physiological indicators showed that Jin significantly accumulated proline, maintained superoxide dismutase activity, reduced malondialdehyde accumulation, and delayed chlorophyll degradation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Jin specifically activated 8544 differentially expressed genes after stress, which were significantly enriched in lipid metabolism (α-linolenic acid, ether lipids) and secondary metabolic pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified co-expression modules significantly correlated with proline (r = 0.81) and malondialdehyde (r = 0.86) and selected the key hub gene Gh_A08G154500 (WRKY22), which was expressed 3.2 times higher in Jin than in TM-1 at 15 days of drought stress. Functional validation suggested that WRKY22 may form a "osmotic regulation-membrane protection" co-regulatory network by activating Pro synthesis genes (P5CS) and genes involved in the jasmonic acid signaling pathway. This study reveals, for the first time, the possible dual regulatory mechanism of WRKY22 in cotton's drought resistance, providing a theoretical basis for cotton drought-resistant breeding.
棉花作为全球重要的纤维作物，在生产过程中受到干旱胁迫的显著影响。本研究以抗旱品种晋棉和干旱敏感品种TM-1为试验材料。通过在0 d、7 d、10 d、15 d和25 d进行多时期干旱胁迫处理，结合生理指标的动态监测、RNA测序和加权基因共表达网络分析，系统地分析了棉花抗旱的分子机制。生理指标的动态监测表明，晋棉显著积累脯氨酸，维持超氧化物歧化酶活性，减少丙二醛积累，并延缓叶绿素降解。转录组分析显示，晋棉在胁迫后特异性激活了8544个差异表达基因，这些基因在脂质代谢（α-亚麻酸、醚脂）和次生代谢途径中显著富集。加权基因共表达网络分析确定了与脯氨酸（r = 0.81）和丙二醛（r = 0.86）显著相关的共表达模块，并选择了关键枢纽基因Gh_A08G154500（WRKY22），在干旱胁迫15天时，该基因在晋棉中的表达量比TM-1高3.2倍。功能验证表明，WRKY22可能通过激活脯氨酸合成基因（P5CS）和参与茉莉酸信号通路的基因，形成“渗透调节-膜保护”共调控网络。本研究首次揭示了WRKY22在棉花抗旱中的可能双重调控机制，为棉花抗旱育种提供了理论依据。
