Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336764
Title: Map-based cloning of a recessive gene v1 for virescent leaf expression in cotton (Gossypium spp)

Author
item ZHANG, YOUPING - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item WANG, QIAOLIAN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item ZUO, DONGYUN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item CHENG, HAILIANG - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item LIU, KE - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item ASHRAF, JAVARIA - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item LI, SIMIN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item FENG, XIAOXU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item Yu, John
item SONG, GUOLI - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/20/2018
Publication Date: 8/31/2018
Citation: Zhang, Y., Wang, Q., Zuo, D., Cheng, H., Liu, K., Ashraf, J., Li, S., Feng, X., Yu, J., Song, G. 2018. Map-based cloning of a recessive gene v1 for virescent leaf expression in cotton (Gossypium spp). Journal of Cotton Research. 1:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42397-018-0009-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42397-018-0009-7

Interpretive Summary: Understanding the genetic basis of virescent (green) mutation in crop plants including cotton is essential in crop production that depends upon photosynthesis through chloroplast development. This early recognizable phenotype also can be used as a marker in breeding selection to reduce the cost of seed production. Through map-based techniques we located and cloned a gene, named as GhRVL, for virescent phenotype in cotton chromosome 20. We demonstrated that this gene causes one amino acid residue change as the result of single nucleotide mutation. Functional silencing of this gene confirmed its change of cotton leaf color from normal to yellow. This report is the first example of map-based gene cloning in cotton with the virescent phenotype. The results will facilitate research on mechanisms of virescent formation and will be useful for breeding for hybrid cottons exploiting heterosis.

Technical Abstract: Virescence, as a recognizable phenotype in the early development stage of cotton, is available not only for research on chloroplast development and photosynthesis but also for heterosis exploitation in cotton. Here, for fine mapping of virescent-1 (v1) in cotton, three populations with a total of 5,678 individuals were constructed using T582, which has the virescent trait of cotton leaves. The v1 gene was fine-mapped to a 20 kb interval on chromosome 20. Only one candidate gene was identified with four SNPs different between parents, of which the SNP on the position of 1,082 bp caused amino acid residue change from Arg (3-79) to Lys (T582). The relative expression level of the candidate gene in virescent plants was significantly lower than that in normal plants. Nullification of the gene by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton significantly caused leaf color of normal plants turned yellow. We named this candidate gene as GhRVL. GhRVL is the first virescent-related gene being cloned via genome mapping in cotton, which will facilitate the research on virescent formation and will be useful for breeding for hybrid cottons.