Unveiling Cotton's Defense: Harnessing GthZIM17-1 Inhibition for Verticillium Wilt Resistance

Abstract

Background Verticillium wilt (VW) is one of the major biotic stress factors in cotton production, causing a significant reduction in yields and quality reduction. Even though extensive molecular research has been carried out on V. wilt, the molecular basis of Verticillium dahliae host response has not been extensively explored. In this research work, the ZIM17, a zinc finger motif protein, was investigated through genome-wide identification, and forward and reverse gene functional analysis to explore the role of ZIM17 in six cotton germplasms. Based on the transcription data, GthZIM17-1 was further explored through Virus-Induced gene silencing (VIGS), overexpression, and protein-protein interaction. Results A total of 23 ZIM17 genes were identified across the six cotton species, and were phylogenetically grouped into three clusters, designated A, B, and C. The entire gene family was characterized by Motif 1 and 3. The knockdown of the novel gene, GhZIM17-4, revealed significantly enhanced resistance to V. wilt due to increased lignification with significantly low DAB staining, moreover, the overexpressed (OE) Arabidopsis thaliana, recorded the disease index (DI) percentage above 70% and above compared to the wild type. Moreover, disease-resistant genes GhPR1, GhPR3, and GhPDF1,2 were significantly upregulated in the VIGS-plants compared to the none VIGS-plants. Conclusion The findings therefore provide proof that the ZIM17 gene family plays an integral role of promoting Verticillium wilt, and suppression of its expression in the elite cotton cultivars will contribute significantly in reducing the V. Wilt infection, thereby improving the yield levels in cotton. Moreover, the ZIM17 has a homologous gene type in yeast, thus knockdown of the novel gene in cotton, has a similar effect to that of host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) mechanism.