AUTHOR=Huang Li , Yang Shuxian , Wu Luyao , Xin Yue , Song Jikun , Wang Li , Pei Wenfeng , Wu Man , Yu Jiwen , Ma Xiaoyan , Hu Shoulin 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Analysis of the GW2-Like Genes in Gossypium and Functional Characterization of the Seed Size Effect of GhGW2-2D

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.860922

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.860922

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Cotton is one of the most economically important crops worldwide. Seed size is a vital trait for plants connected with yield and germination. <italic>GW2</italic> encodes a RING_Ubox E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls seed development by affecting cell growth. Here, are few reports on <italic>GW2</italic>-like genes in cotton, and the function of <italic>GW2</italic> in cotton is poorly understood. In the present study, a genome-wide analysis identified 6 and 3 <italic>GW2-</italic>like genes in each of the two cultivated tetraploids (<italic>Gossypium hirsutum</italic> and <italic>G. barbadense</italic>) and each of their diploid ancestral species (<italic>G. arboreum</italic>, <italic>G. raimondii</italic>), respectively. <italic>GhGW2-2D</italic> has the same functional domain and high sequence similarity with <italic>AtDA2</italic> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>. Overexpression of <italic>GhGW2-2D</italic> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> significantly reduced seed and seedling size, suggesting <italic>GhGW2-2D</italic> is a potential target for regulating cotton seed size. These results provided information on the genetic and molecular basis of <italic>GW2</italic>-like genes in cotton, thus establishing a foundation for functional studies of cotton seeds.</p>