Delong Wang , Jin Zhou , Jin Zhang

Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Cotton Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 4   
Received: 01 May, 2025    Accepted: 10 Jun., 2025    Published: 01 Jul., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cotton is a globally important fiber crop. Both its diploid (varieties with normal chromosomes, such as Asiatic and Raymondia cotton) and polyploid (varieties with doubled chromosomes, such as Upland and Sea Island cotton) varieties provide valuable genetic resources for improving cotton fiber quality. This study, using comparative genomic approaches, conducted a detailed evolutionary analysis of gene families involved in fiber growth across different cotton varieties, primarily including cellulose synthase (CesA) genes responsible for cellulose synthesis, expansins, and the MYB transcription factor family. We also investigated how these gene families evolved through whole-genome duplications, small-scale duplications, and external selective pressures. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression of these genes at different stages of fiber development, their epigenetic regulation (influencing development by modulating gene activity), and their co-expression networks (how genes coordinate their function). Furthermore, we conducted an in-depth case study of the CesA gene in Upland cotton, including its classification, expression patterns during development, and functional validation. These studies can help us more clearly understand the evolution and functional differences of cotton fiber genes, and have practical significance for future molecular breeding, gene editing and protection of cotton genetic resources.

Cotton genomics; Fiber-related genes; Gene duplication; Polyploidy; Molecular breeding