Optimal plant height is crucial in modern agriculture, influencing lodging resistance and facilitating mechanized crop production. Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important fiber crop globally; however, the genetic basis underlying plant height remains largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study to identify a major locus controlling plant height (PH1) in upland cotton. This locus encodes gibberellin 2-oxidase 1A (GhPH1) and features a 1133-bp structural variation (PAVPH1) located approximately 16 kb upstream. The presence or absence of PAVPH1 influences the expression of GhPH1, thereby affecting plant height. Further analysis revealed that a gibberellin-regulating transcription factor (GhGARF) recognizes and binds to a specific CATTTG motif in both the GhPH1 promoter and PAVPH1. This interaction downregulates GhPH1, indicating that PAVPH1 functions as a distant upstream silencer. Intriguingly, we found that DWARF53 (D53), a key repressor of the strigolactone (SL) signaling pathway, directly interacts with GhGARF to inhibit its binding to targets. Moreover, we identified a previously unrecognized gibberellin-SL crosstalk mechanism mediated by the GhD53-GhGARF-GhPH1/PAVPH1 module, which is crucial for regulating plant height in upland cotton. These findings shed light on the genetic basis and gene interaction network underlying plant height, providing valuable insights for the development of semi-dwarf cotton varieties through precise modulation of GhPH1 expression.

中文翻译：

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由远距离消音器介导的 Strigolactone-gibberellin 串扰微调陆地棉的株高


最佳株高在现代农业中至关重要，它会影响抗倒伏性并促进机械化作物生产。陆地棉 （Gossypium hirsutum） 是全球最重要的纤维作物;然而，株高的遗传基础在很大程度上仍未得到探索。在这项研究中，我们进行了一项全基因组关联研究，以确定陆地棉中控制株高 （PH1） 的主要基因座。该基因座编码赤霉素 2-氧化酶 1A （GhPH1），并具有位于上游约 16 kb 处的 1133 bp 结构变异 （PAVPH1）。PAVPH1 的存在与否会影响 GhPH1 的表达，从而影响株高。进一步分析显示，赤霉素调节转录因子 （GhGARF） 识别并结合 GhPH1 启动子和 PAVPH1 中的特定 CATTTG 基序。这种相互作用下调了 GhPH1，表明 PAVPH1 起着远处上游沉默器的作用。有趣的是，我们发现 DWARF53 （D53） 是独脚金内酯 （SL） 信号通路的关键抑制因子，直接与 GhGARF 相互作用以抑制其与靶标的结合。此外，我们确定了由 GhD53-GhGARF-GhPH1/PAVPH1 模块介导的以前未被识别的赤霉素-SL 串扰机制，这对调节陆地棉的株高至关重要。这些发现揭示了株高的遗传基础和基因相互作用网络，通过精确调控 GhPH1 表达为半矮棉品种的开发提供了有价值的见解。