BackgroundCotton (Gossypium spp.) is produced in over 30 countries and represents the most important natural fiber in the world. One of the primary factors affecting both the quantity and quality of cotton production is water. A major facilitator of water movement through cell membranes of cotton and other plants are the aquaporin proteins. Aquaporin proteins are present as diverse forms in plants, where they function as transport systems for water and other small molecules. The plant aquaporins belong to the large major intrinsic protein (MIP) family. In higher plants, they consist of five subfamilies including plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIP), tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIP), NOD26-like intrinsic proteins (NIP), small basic intrinsic proteins (SIP), and the recently discovered X intrinsic proteins (XIP). Although a great deal is known about aquaporins in plants, very little is known in cotton.ResultsFrom a molecular cloning effort, together with a bioinformatic homology search, 71 upland cotton (G. hirsutum) aquaporin genes were identified. The cotton aquaporins consist of 28 PIP and 23 TIP members with high sequence similarity. We also identified 12 NIP and 7 SIP members that showed more divergence. In addition, one XIP member was identified that formed a distinct 5th subfamily. To explore the physiological roles of these aquaporin genes in cotton, expression analyses were performed for a select set of aquaporin genes from each subfamily using semi-quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Our results suggest that many cotton aquaporin genes have high sequence similarity and diverse roles as evidenced by analysis of sequences and their expression.ConclusionThis study presents a comprehensive identification of 71 cotton aquaporin genes. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences divided the large and highly similar multi-gene family into the known 5 aquaporin subfamilies. Together with expression and bioinformatic analyses, our results support the idea that the genes identified in this study represent an important genetic resource providing potential targets to modify the water use properties of cotton.

BackgroundCotton is the world’s primary fiber crop and is a major agricultural commodity in over 30 countries. Like many other global commodities, sustainable cotton production is challenged by restricted natural resources. In response to the anticipated increase of agricultural water demand, a major research direction involves developing crops that use less water or that use water more efficiently. In this study, our objective was to identify differentially expressed genes in response to water deficit stress in cotton. A global expression analysis using cDNA-Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism was conducted to compare root and leaf gene expression profiles from a putative drought resistant cotton cultivar grown under water deficit stressed and well watered field conditions.ResultsWe identified a total of 519 differentially expressed transcript derived fragments. Of these, 147 transcript derived fragment sequences were functionally annotated according to their gene ontology. Nearly 70 percent of transcript derived fragments belonged to four major categories: 1) unclassified, 2) stress/defense, 3) metabolism, and 4) gene regulation. We found heat shock protein-related and reactive oxygen species-related transcript derived fragments to be among the major parts of functional pathways induced by water deficit stress. Also, twelve novel transcripts were identified as both water deficit responsive and cotton specific. A subset of differentially expressed transcript derived fragments was verified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Differential expression analysis also identified five pairs of duplicated transcript derived fragments in which four pairs responded differentially between each of their two homologues under water deficit stress.ConclusionsIn this study, we detected differentially expressed transcript derived fragments from water deficit stressed root and leaf tissues in tetraploid cotton and provided their gene ontology, functional/biological distribution, and possible roles of gene duplication. This discovery demonstrates complex mechanisms involved with polyploid cotton’s transcriptome response to naturally occurring field water deficit stress. The genes identified in this study will provide candidate targets to manipulate the water use characteristics of cotton at the molecular level.

An RNA-Seq experiment was performed using field grown well-watered and naturally rain fed cotton plants to identify differentially expressed transcripts under water-deficit stress. Our work constitutes the first application of the newly published diploid D5 Gossypium raimondii sequence in the study of tetraploid AD1 upland cotton RNA-seq transcriptome analysis. A total of 1,530 transcripts were differentially expressed between well-watered and water-deficit stressed root tissues, in patterns that confirm the accuracy of this technique for future studies in cotton genomics. Additionally, putative sequence based genome localization of differentially expressed transcripts detected A2 genome specific gene expression under water-deficit stress. These data will facilitate efforts to understand the complex responses governing transcriptomic regulatory mechanisms and to identify candidate genes that may benefit applied plant breeding programs.

Paper has attracted considerable interest as a promising pressure‐sensing element owing to its foldability/bendability and deformability due to its high porosity. However, paper‐based tactile sensors reported hitherto cannot achieve high sensitivity and a wide sensing range simultaneously. In this study, a resistive tactile sensor using carbon nanotube‐ and silver nanoparticle‐printed mulberry paper as a pressure‐sensing element and electrodes, respectively, is developed. The rough surface and high inner porosity of mulberry paper induce a significant change in the contact area when a multilayer‐stacked structure is used, resulting in increased sensitivity to pressure. Moreover, the enhanced mechanical robustness of mulberry paper originating from the highly bonded network of long and thick fibers affords a wide pressure‐sensing range. The sensor exhibits a high sensitivity exceeding 1 kPa−1 in an applied pressure range of 0.05–900 kPa; this achievement has not been reported among paper‐based tactile sensors. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits a fast response/relaxation time, low detection limit, high resolution, high durability, and high flexibility. The advantages of the sensor afford several applications, including a crosstalk‐free pressure sensor array, a three‐axis pressure sensor, and wearable devices for measuring signals from a user.