Abstract
Background
Rubisco activase (RCA) is a pivotal enzyme that can catalyse the activation of Rubisco in carbon assimilation pathway. Many studies have shown that RCA may be a potential target for genetic manipulation aimed at enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and crop yield.
Objective
To understand the biological function of the GhRCAβ2 gene in upland cotton, we cloned the coding sequence (CDS) of the GhRCAβ2 gene and investigated its sequence features, evolutionary relationship, subcellular localization, promoter sequence and expression pattern.
Methods
The bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the sequence features of GhRCAβ2 protein. Transient transformation of Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts was performed to determine the subcellular localization of the GhRCAβ2 protein. The expression pattern of the GhRCAβ2 gene was examined by analyzing transcriptome data and using the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
Results
The full-length CDS of GhRCAβ2 was 1317 bp, and it encoded a protein with a chloroplast transit peptide. The GhRCAβ2 had two conserved ATP-binding domains, and did not have the C-terminal extension (CTE) domain that was unique to the RCA α-isoform in plants. Evolutionarily, GhRCAβ2 was clustered in Group A, and had a close evolutionary relationship with the soybean RCA. Western blot analysis demonstrated that GhRCAβ2 was immunoreactive to the RCA antibody displaying a molecular weight similar to that of the RCA β-isoform. The GhRCAβ2 protein was found in chloroplast, aligning with its role as a vital enzyme in the process of photosynthesis. The GhRCAβ2 gene had a leaf tissue-specific expression pattern, and the yellow-green leaf mutant exhibited a decreased expression of GhRCAβ2 in comparison to the wild-type cotton plants. The GhRCAβ2 promoter contained several cis-acting elements that respond to light, phytohormones and stress, suggesting that the expression of GhRCAβ2 may be regulated by these factors. An additional examination of stress response indicated that GhRCAβ2 expression was influenced by cold, heat, salt, and drought stress. Notably, diverse expression pattern was observed across different stress conditions. Additionally, low phosphorus and low potassium stress may result in a notable reduction in the expression of GhRCAβ2 gene.
Conclusion
Our findings will establish a basis for further understanding the function of the GhRCAβ2 gene, as well as providing valuable genetic knowledge to improve cotton photosynthetic efficiency and yield under challenging environmental circumstances.
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Data availability
The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
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Funding
This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31601347), the National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization Open Fund (CB2023A02), the Training Plan for Young Key Teachers in Institution of Higher Education in Henan Province (2020GGJS168), and the Key Science and Technology Special Project of Xinxiang City of China (22ZD003).
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Q-L W and M-N C designed the experiments and managed the project. M-N C, L H, J D and Y C performed the experiments. M-N C, J D, G-H H, Q-F Z and J-B Z performed the data analyses. M-N C, L H and Q-L W wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Supplementary Material 1: Table S1.
Transcriptome data of GhRCAβ2 expression in different cotton tissues
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Chao, M., Huang, L., Dong, J. et al. Molecular characterization and expression pattern of Rubisco activase gene GhRCAβ2 in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Genes Genom 46, 423–436 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-024-01494-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-024-01494-x