Genetics and evolution of GoP1 gene regulating yellow pollen coloration enhancing pollinator attraction in cotton
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprintsoup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink serv...
| Publié dans: | Journal of experimental botany. - 1985. - (2025) vom: 15. Okt. |
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| Auteur principal: | |
| Autres auteurs: | , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article en ligne |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
2025
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| Accès à la collection: | Journal of experimental botany |
| Sujets: | Journal Article carotenoid biosynthesis cotton pollen color pollinator visitation seed production |
| Résumé: | © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprintsoup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. Pollen is produced in the anthers of angiosperm stamens and serves a crucial role in pollination and plant reproduction. The coloration of floral organs is known to attract pollinators, thereby enhancing pollination efficiency and seed production. However, the genetic basis of pollen pigmentation in tetraploid cotton, a major source of renewable fiber worldwide, remains obscure. In this study, we found that yellow pollen pigmentation significantly increased pollinator honeybee visitation to cotton flowers. Here, we fine-mapped and identified a dominant yellow pollen gene, GoP1, which encodes phytoene synthase (PSY), a gateway enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. Silencing GoP1 in the yellow-pollen parent J8891 using VIGS and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis disrupted carotenoid and other pigments synthesis, resulting in significantly reduced carotenoid levels in mature pollen and a white-pollen phenotype. Additionally, genomic analysis of a resequencing panel comprising 497 cotton accessions revealed that the yellow pollen trait was gradually lost under negative selection during the domestication and improvement of upland cotton. White-pollen plants, which attracted fewer pollinators, helped maintain higher variety purity in production, making them more favored by breeders. Our findings provide new perspectives on the genetic mechanisms of pollen coloration and uncover a promising approach to enhance cotton productivity |
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| Description: | Date Revised 15.10.2025 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status Publisher |
| ISSN: | 1460-2431 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/jxb/eraf448 |