Genome-wide analysis of Class III peroxidase (PRX) family core genes and functional mechanism of GhPRXR1-A for seed development in Gossypium hirsutum

Liupeng Yang; Yudie Xia; Chunmei Fei; Kashif Shahzad; Miao Niu; Juanjuan Feng; Jianjiang Ma; Xiaoping Wang; Jikun Song; Pan Feng; Siyuan Xu; Guoyong An; Jiwen Yu

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139529

Genome-wide analysis of Class III peroxidase (PRX) family core genes and functional mechanism of GhPRXR1-A for seed development in Gossypium hirsutum

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 4:295:139529. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139529. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Liupeng Yang¹, Yudie Xia², Chunmei Fei³, Kashif Shahzad⁴, Miao Niu⁵, Juanjuan Feng⁵, Jianjiang Ma⁴, Xiaoping Wang⁵, Jikun Song⁴, Pan Feng⁵, Siyuan Xu⁴, Guoyong An⁶, Jiwen Yu⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39761879
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139529

Abstract

Class III peroxidases (PRXs) play critical roles in plant growth and development by oxidizing various substrates with H₂O₂. Although many PRXs have been identified and their roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses have extensively investigated in plants. However, functional mechanisms of PRXs in seed development remain poorly understood. In this study, 14, 17, 9, and 13 PRX core genes were identified in Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium barbadense, Gossypium arboreum, and Gossypium raimondii, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis categorized PRXs core genes of cotton into five groups. Six of the GhPRX genes co-localized with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with oil or seed size, and GhPRXR1-A showed significant high expression levels in developing ovules. Heterologous overexpression of GhPRXR1-A in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in a significant increase in thousand seed weight (Col-0: 0.015 ± 0.00085 g vs. OE-GhPRXR1-A: 0.022 ± 0.0019 g). In addition, molecular mechanism assays revealed that GhPRXR1-A is directly activated by GhGATA1 and interacts with GhNFYC4, a transcription factor of the nuclear factor Y, C subunit family that has previously been reported to mediate seed development. Collectively, these findings suggest that GhPRXR1-A is a regulator of seed development in Arabidopsis and may have similar functional role in cotton seed contributing traits.

Keywords: Class III peroxidase (PRX); Cotton; Seed development.