AUTHOR=Jia Tingting , Ge Qun , Zhang Shuya , Zhang Zhen , Liu Aiying , Fan Senmiao , Jiang Xiao , Feng Yulong , Zhang Lipeng , Niu Doudou , Huang Shen , Gong Wankui , Yuan Youlu , Shang Haihong 

TITLE=UDP-Glucose Dehydrogenases: Identification, Expression, and Function Analyses in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2020.597890

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2020.597890

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UGD; EC1.1.1.22) is a NAD<sup>+</sup>-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the two-fold oxidation of UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc) to produce UDP-glucuronic acid and plays an important role in plant cell wall synthesis. A total of 42 <italic>UGD</italic> genes from four <italic>Gossypium</italic> genomes including <italic>G</italic>. <italic>hirsutum</italic>, <italic>G</italic>. <italic>arboretum</italic>, <italic>G</italic>. <italic>barbadense</italic>, and <italic>G</italic>. <italic>raimondii</italic> were identified and found that the <italic>UGD</italic> gene family has conservative evolution patterns in gene structure and protein domain. The growth of fibers can be effectively promoted after adding the UDP-Glc to the medium, and the <italic>GhUGD</italic> gene expression enhanced. In addition, the transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> lines over-expressing <italic>GH_D12G1806</italic> had longer root lengths and higher gene expression level than the wild-type plants of <italic>Columbia-0</italic>. These results indicated that <italic>UGD</italic> may play important roles in cotton fiber development and has a guiding significance for dissecting fiber development mechanism.</p>