Abstract

Auxin homeostasis is hypothesized to play an important role in the growth-defense trade-off in plants; however, the potential mechanisms by which auxin metabolism correlates with cell wall dynamics and immune signaling during vascular pathogen infection in cotton warrant further investigation. In this study, we characterized GhGH3.1 , an IAA-conjugating candidate belonging to the GH3 class II lineage, and explored its potential involvement in defense responses against Verticillium dahliae ( V. dahliae ) infection in Gossypium hirsutum . GhGH3.1 appears evolutionarily conserved across Gossypium species, exhibited a root-predominant expression pattern, and was induced upon V. dahliae challenge. Functional investigations via transient virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) indicated that the knockdown of GhGH3.1 in cotton was associated with an altered host susceptibility; complementarily, its …

Date

2026

Authors

Ying Liu, Zhaoyuan Ba, Juyun Zheng, Jingxuan Guo, Xueyuan Ma, Zhaoqi Wang, Zhenyu Wang, Xiaoyu Pei, Xiang Ren, Yu Liang, Meng Kang, Xingxing Wang, Xueyuan Li, Xiongfeng Ma

Journal

Industrial Crops and Products

Volume

250

Pages

123970

Publisher

Elsevier