AUTHOR=Yang Shuxian , Huang Li , Song Jikun , Liu Lisen , Bian Yingying , Jia Bing , Wu Luyao , Xin Yue , Wu Man , Zhang Jinfa , Yu Jiwen , Zang Xinshan 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Analysis of DA1-Like Genes in Gossypium and Functional Characterization of GhDA1-1A Controlling Seed Size

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.647091

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.647091

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Cotton (<italic>Gossypium</italic> spp.) is an economically important crop grown for natural fiber and seed oil production. <italic>DA1</italic> is a ubiquitin receptor that determines final seed and organ size by restricting the period of cell proliferation. In the present study, we identified 7 <italic>DA1-like</italic> genes each in cultivated tetraploid (AADD) <italic>G. hirsutum</italic> and <italic>G. barbadense</italic>, and 4 and 3 <italic>DA1-like</italic> genes in their ancestral diploid <italic>G. arboreum</italic> (A2A2) and <italic>G. raimondii</italic> (D5D5), respectively. The 7 <italic>GhDA1</italic> genes were confirmed to be distributed on four At and three Dt subgenome chromosomes in <italic>G. hirsutum</italic>. <italic>GhDA1-1A</italic> showed a high sequence similarity to <italic>AtDA1</italic> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>, and they possessed the same functional domains, suggesting conserved functions. The overexpression of <italic>GhDA1-1A</italic><sup><italic>R</italic>301<italic>K</italic></sup> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> significantly increased seed size and seed weight, indicating that <italic>GhDA1-1A</italic> is a promising target for cotton improvement. This study provides information on the molecular evolutionary properties of <italic>DA1-like</italic> genes in cotton, which will be useful for the genetic improvement of cotton.</p>