The role of gibberellin synthase gene GhGA2ox1 in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) responses to drought and salt stress

Gibberellins (GAs) is one kind of important endogenous hormone in plants that regulates vegetative and reproductive growth of plants. GA2ox is a class of oxidase that plays a regulatory role in the third stage of GAs synthesis. In this paper, we cloned the GhGA2ox1 gene from an upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. var. CCRI49). The results showed that the CDS of GhGA2ox1 is 996 bp, which encode 331 amino acids, which has high homology with GhGA2ox2 and NtGA2ox1. The quantitative real-time PCR showed that under the conditions of salt and drought stress, the expression of GhGA2ox1 had a higher upregulation in root, stem, and leaf of transgenic plant, compared with non-transgenic plant. Cotton plant that overexpressed the GhGA2ox1 gene showed higher drought and salt tolerance than non-transgenic cotton plant, and these results were supported by data of higher free proline, chlorophyll, and relative water content in transgenic plant compared with control plant. The expression level of antiretroviral genes, including GhEREB2, GhDREB1, GhWRKY5, and GhP5CS, was upregulated to varying degrees in transgenic plant. The above results indicate that overexpressed GhGA2ox1 gene can increases the tolerance to respond to drought and salt stress in upland cotton.