A genome-wide analysis of YUCCA genes in cotton and the functional study of GhYUC19 in plant development.
Zhong W, Aminu IM, Zhang Y, Zhu S, Yao J
Crop Improvement
Cotton grown in fields worldwide could be engineered to flower more reliably and produce more fiber per plant, directly affecting the price and sustainability of the clothes in your wardrobe.
Plants make a hormone called auxin that acts like a growth instruction manual—telling the plant how tall to get, when to branch, and how to build its flowers. This study found more than 100 genes in cotton that help produce auxin, then zeroed in on one called GhYUC19. When scientists turned that gene way up, plants grew taller but had stunted fruit; when they shut it off, flowers grew malformed with missing petals—showing just how central this one gene is to cotton's shape and reproduction.
Key Findings
104 YUCCA auxin-biosynthesis genes were identified across four cotton species and grouped into four evolutionary clusters with highly conserved structures
Overexpressing GhYUC19 in a model plant increased plant height and caused downward-curling leaves, but shrank fruit size and sharply reduced fertility
Silencing GhYUC19 in cotton via gene knockdown produced flowers with missing petals and fewer stamens, confirming its essential role in floral organ formation
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified 104 copies of a plant growth gene called YUCCA across four cotton species and showed that one key version, GhYUC19, controls how tall cotton grows, how it branches, and whether its flowers form correctly. The findings open doors for breeding or engineering cotton with improved architecture and yield.
Abstract Preview
The YUCCA (YUC) genes play a pivotal regulatory role in plant growth and development; however, those in cotton have not been systematically characterized. In this study, 104 YUC members were identi...
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