A deletion/duplication in theLigon lintless-2locus induces siRNAs that inhibit cotton fiber cell elongation

• DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac384
• Publication Date: 2022-08-23T13:39:25Z
• Authors: Marina Naoumkina; Gregory N Thyssen; David D Fang; Christopher B Flo...; Ping Li
• Keywords: Lint; Inverted repeat; Elongation

Most cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties have two types of seed fibers: short fuzz fiber strongly adhered to the coat, and long lint used in textile industry. The Ligon lintless-2 (Li2) mutant has a normal vegetative phenotype but produces very on seeds. Li2 mutation is controlled by single dominant gene. We discovered large structural rearrangement at end chromosome D13 based whole-genome sequencing genetic mapping segregating populations. contains 177-kb deletion 221-kb duplication positioned as tandem inverted repeat. gene Gh_D13G2437 located junction repeat duplicated region. During transcription such structure spontaneously forms self-complementary hairpin RNA followed production small interfering (siRNA). encodes Ran-Binding Protein 1 (RanBP1) that preferentially expresses during elongation. abundance siRNA produced from reciprocally corresponds with highly homologous (68%-98% amino acid sequence identity) RanBP1 family transcripts elongation, resulting shorter Li2. Overexpression recovered phenotype. Taken together, our findings revealed siRNA-induced silencing RanBP1s inhibit elongation cells mutant.