Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of HSP90 Family Gene in Cotton and Their Potential Role in Salt Stress Tolerance

Zhao Yan Hao¹Qian Feng¹Xu Yan Man¹Dong Qi Qi¹Yu Shi Qing¹Zhai Wei Yang¹Mohssen Elbagory²Esam sayed kasem³Dr. Muhammad Yasir⁴Jiang Yu Rong^1*

• ¹College of Agriculture and Food Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
• ²Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
• ³Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (Egypt), Giza, Cairo, Egypt
• ⁴College of Tea Science and Tea Culture, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

Heat shock proteins 90 (HSP90s) are conserved molecular chaperones essential for cellular homeostasis under abiotic stress. While several studies have been reported to elucidate the role of HSP90s in heat stress responses in cotton, their involvement in salt stress remains underexplored. Gossypium hirsutum L. is highly susceptible to salt stress. The Current study investigated the evolutionary aspects, expression patterns, and functional validation of HSP90 family members in cotton under salt stress. A comprehensive genomic analysis of G. hirsutum, G. raimondii, and G. arboreum, identified 56 HSP90 genes which were classified into three distinct phylogenetic groups. Gene structure and motifs analysis revealed a conserved nature of HSP90s within each group. Additionally, cis-acting elements suggested the potential roles of HSP90s in biotic and abiotic stresses. The Ka/Ks ratio of all genes was < 1 suggesting negative and purifying selection pressure during molecular evolution. Expression analysis demonstrated the potential role of HSP90 genes in salt tolerance. Notably, out of ten HSP90 genes five genes exhibited highly differential expression under salt stress, as confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis.