Identification of the CesA Subfamily and Functional Analysis of GhMCesA35 in Gossypium hirsutum L.

The cellulose synthase genes control the biosynthesis of cellulose in plants. Nonetheless, the gene family members of CesA have not been identified in the newly assembled genome of Gossypium hirsutum (AD1, HEBAU_NDM8). We identified 38 CesA genes in G. hirsutum (NDM8) and found that the protein sequence of GhMCesA35 is 100% identical to CelA1 in a previous study. It is already known that CelA1 is involved in cellulose biosynthesis in vitro. However, the function of this gene in vivo has not been validated. In this study, we verified the function of GhMCesA35 in vivo based on overexpressed Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, we found that it interacted with GhCesA7 through the yeast two-hybrid assay. This study provides new insights for studying the biological functions of CesA genes in G. hirsutum, thereby improving cotton fiber quality and yield.