Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis
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, com...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Hu Zhang Wen Zhang Yu Tang Yuantao Guo Jinsheng Wang Wenju Gao Qingtao Zeng Quanjia Chen Qin Chen |
| author_facet | Hu Zhang Wen Zhang Yu Tang Yuantao Guo Jinsheng Wang Wenju Gao Qingtao Zeng Quanjia Chen Qin Chen |
| author_sort | Hu Zhang |
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| description | 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. |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-005fd51e2abd44419b535b0715e06f242025-08-20T01:56:39ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-05-011410140710.3390/plants14101407Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA AnalysisHu Zhang0Wen Zhang1Yu Tang2Yuantao Guo3Jinsheng Wang4Wenju Gao5Qingtao Zeng6Quanjia Chen7Qin Chen8Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaThe 7th Division of Agricultural Sciences Institute, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Kuitun 833200, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaThe 7th Division of Agricultural Sciences Institute, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Kuitun 833200, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biological Breeding, College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, ChinaCotton, 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1407drought stress<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i>weighted gene co-expression network analysistranscriptomeWRKY transcription factor |
| spellingShingle | Hu Zhang Wen Zhang Yu Tang Yuantao Guo Jinsheng Wang Wenju Gao Qingtao Zeng Quanjia Chen Qin Chen Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis Plants drought stress <i>Gossypium hirsutum</i> weighted gene co-expression network analysis transcriptome WRKY transcription factor |
| title | Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis |
| title_full | Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis |
| title_short | Mining Key Drought-Resistant Genes of Upland Cotton Based on RNA-Seq and WGCNA Analysis |
| title_sort | mining key drought resistant genes of upland cotton based on rna seq and wgcna analysis |
| topic | drought stress <i>Gossypium hirsutum</i> weighted gene co-expression network analysis transcriptome WRKY transcription factor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1407 |
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