GhDof1.7, a Dof Transcription Factor, Plays Positive Regulatory Role under Salinity Stress in Upland Cotton

Yi Li; Miaomiao Tian; Zhen Feng; Jingjing Zhang; Jianhua Lu; Xiaokang Fu; Liang Ma; Hengling Wei; Hantao Wang

doi:10.3390/plants12213740

GhDof1.7, a Dof Transcription Factor, Plays Positive Regulatory Role under Salinity Stress in Upland Cotton

Plants (Basel). 2023 Oct 31;12(21):3740. doi: 10.3390/plants12213740.

Authors

Yi Li^{1

2}, Miaomiao Tian², Zhen Feng², Jingjing Zhang², Jianhua Lu^{1

2}, Xiaokang Fu^{1

2}, Liang Ma^{1

2}, Hengling Wei^{1

2}, Hantao Wang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-Breeding and Integrated Utilization, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
² National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-Breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of CAAS, Anyang 455000, China.
³ Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji 831100, China.

Abstract

Salt stress is a major abiotic stressor that can severely limit plant growth, distribution, and crop yield. DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) is a plant-specific transcription factor that plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, the function of a Dof transcription factor, GhDof1.7, was investigated in upland cotton. The GhDof1.7 gene has a coding sequence length of 759 base pairs, encoding 252 amino acids, and is mainly expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences. Salt and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments significantly induced the expression of GhDof1.7. The presence of GhDof1.7 in Arabidopsis may have resulted in potential improvements in salt tolerance, as suggested by a decrease in H₂O₂ content and an increase in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. The GhDof1.7 protein was found to interact with GhCAR4 (C2-domain ABA-related 4), and the silencing of either GhDof1.7 or GhCAR4 resulted in reduced salt tolerance in cotton plants. These findings demonstrate that GhDof1.7 plays a crucial role in improving the salt tolerance of upland cotton and provide insight into the regulation of abiotic stress response by Dof transcription factors.

Keywords: ABA; DNA-binding with one finger; H2O2; salt stress; upland cotton.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072112), the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (No. 1610162023003), the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2022D01B222), and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.