Comparative Expression Studies of Fiber Related Genes in Cotton Spp.

Cotton fibers are the seed trichomes that are developed around the seed and are used to make clothes and yarn for the textile industry. Expression profiling of cotton fiber genes is very important to estimate the differential gene expression level at different fiber developmental stages. Expression analysis of fiber developing genes are very important to enhance the fiber length of cotton. The expression profiling of three gene families in five stages (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 DPA) of cotton fiber tissues was carried out through real-time PCR. Expression analysis revealed that transcripts of GA-20 Oxidase, XTH, and PEPc were elevated from 5 to 20 days post-anthesis (DPA) fibers. Total RNA was extracted from various stages of cotton fiber development and was reverse transcribed to cDNA for PCR amplification. For data normalization, 18s rRNA was used as an internal control. The objective of this study was to explore the expression level of fiber developing genes at specific stages of fiber development. The results showed that most of the genes were expressed during the elongation phase in between 5 DPA to 15 DPA. Results obtained from this study may be helpful for the further identification of fiber genes and the improvement of fiber characteristics in cotton. PEPc and XTH genes that are expressed with a high rate during the fiber development may be used in breeding programmes for the improvement of fiber quality and quantity.