Cotton GhNAC4 promotes drought tolerance by regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis and ribosomal protein homeostasis

• DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16538
• Publication Date: 2023-11-07T18:39:26Z
• Authors: Xuanxiang Jin; Qichao Chai; Chuchu Liu; Xin Niu; Weixi Li; Xiaoguang Shang; Aixing Gu; Dayong Zhang; Wangzhen Guo
• Keywords: Drought Tolerance

SUMMARY Drought has a severe impact on the quality and yield of cotton. Deciphering key genes related to drought tolerance is important for understanding regulation mechanism stress breeding drought‐tolerant cotton cultivars. Several studies have demonstrated that NAC transcription factors are crucial in stress, however, functional mechanisms still largely unexplored. Here, we identified factor GhNAC4 positively regulated The expression was significantly induced by abiotic plant hormones. Silencing distinctly impaired resistance overexpressing enhanced tolerance. RNA‐seq analysis revealed overexpression enriched associated with biosynthesis secondary cell walls ribosomal proteins. We confirmed activated expressions GhNST1 , master regulator reported previously wall formation, two protein‐encoding GhRPL12 GhRPL18p directly binding their promoter regions. Overexpression promoted downstream biosynthesis, resulting enhancing deposition roots, silencing stress. Taken together, our study reveals novel pathway mediated promotes strengthen development regulates maintain translation stability, which ultimately enhances