Most of the global cotton () production areas are located in regions with limited access to water, and drought represents a significant factor that hinders cotton production. The essential endeavor of uncovering mechanisms for drought resistance is crucial for enhancing cotton yields. However, our understanding of the regulatory networks responding to drought in cotton is currently quite limited. In our study, we identified a drought tolerance gene, , from the previously established cotton cDNA library in a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector. Notably, its expression was induced by drought stress. GhWRKY1bD is a type I WRKY transcription activator predominantly expressed in the nucleus. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that GhWRKY1bD orchestrates drought response networks through at least three regulatory mechanisms associated with drought response: the pathways associated with the synthesis and signal pathway of abscisic acid (ABA), the pathways governing the metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, such as proline. Furthermore, the overexpression of in Arabidopsis bestowed heightened drought tolerance on the plant. Our studies indicate that GhWRKY1bD positively regulates drought resistance, and manipulating GhWRKY1bD targets holds the promise of improving drought tolerance in multiple species.

中文翻译：

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GhWRKY1bD 通过共同调节棉花（Gossypium hirsutum）的 ABA、ROS 和脯氨酸稳态来提高耐旱性


全球大部分棉花产区位于水资源有限的地区，干旱是阻碍棉花生产的重要因素。揭示抗旱机制的基本努力对于提高棉花产量至关重要。然而，目前我们对应对棉花干旱的监管网络的了解相当有限。在我们的研究中，我们从之前建立的棉花 cDNA 文库中的病毒诱导基因沉默 (VIGS) 载体中鉴定出了一个耐旱基因 。值得注意的是，其表达是由干旱胁迫诱导的。 GhWRKY1bD 是一种主要在细胞核中表达的 I 型 WRKY 转录激活剂。转录组测序显示，GhWRKY1bD 通过至少三种与干旱响应相关的调节机制来协调干旱响应网络：与脱落酸（ABA）合成和信号通路相关的途径、控制活性氧（ROS）代谢的途径和次生代谢物的积累，例如脯氨酸。此外，在拟南芥中的过度表达赋予植物增强的耐旱性。我们的研究表明，GhWRKY1bD 积极调节抗旱性，操纵 GhWRKY1bD 目标有望提高多个物种的耐旱性。