Silencing of GhORP_A02 enhances drought tolerance in Gossypium hirsutum

BACKGROUND: ORP (Oxysterol-binding protein-related proteins) genes play a role in lipid metabolism, vesicular transferring and signaling, and non-vesicular sterol transport. However, no systematic identification and analysis of ORP genes have been reported in cotton. RESULT: In this study, we identified 14, 14, 7, and 7 ORP genes in G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all ORP genes could be classified into four groups. Gene structure and conserved motif analysis suggest that the function of this gene family was conserved. The Ka/Ks analysis showed that this gene family was exposed to purifying selection during evolution. Transcriptome data showed that four ORP genes, especially GhORP_A02, were induced by abiotic stress treatment. The cis-acting elements in the ORP promoters were responsive to phytohormones and various abiotic stresses. The silenced plants of GhORP_A02 were more sensitive to drought stress when compared to control. CONCLUSION: The major finding of this study shed light on the potential role of ORP genes in abiotic stress and provided a fundamental resource for further analysis in cotton. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-09099-y.