On August 5, Plant Cell, a top-tier botanical journal, has published a research paper The transcription factor ERF108 interacts with AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs to mediate cotton fiber secondary cell wall biosynthesis by the molecular genetic research group from the School of Life Sciences in CCNU. The study reveals a new mechanism in which the AP2/ERF transcription factor GhERF108 and the auxin response factor GhARF7-1/7-2 can mediate the development of cotton fiber SCW (secondary cell wall) through the ethylene-auxin signaling crosstalk pathway.
The phytohormones ethylene and auxin play indispensable roles in plant growth and development, but the molecular mechanisms for ethylene–auxin-mediated regulation of fiber SCW formation in cotton require further investigation.
The interaction between GhERF108 and GhARF7-1/7-2 establishes an ethylene-auxin signaling crosstalk， activating GhMYBL1 expression and thereby initiating the biosynthesis of cotton fiber SCW. The study provides a novel perspective on an in-depth understanding of the roles of phytohormones in cotton fiber SCW formation and holds the potential to improve cotton fiber quality through genetic engineering.
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