Characterization of Cotton ARF Factors and the Role of GhARF2b in Fiber Development

Abstract Background: Cotton fiber is a model system for studying plant cell development. At present, our understanding of cotton fiber development and the regulatory network is still primitive. Results: Here, we identify auxin response factor (ARF) genes in three cotton species: the tetraploid upland cotton G. hirsutum, which has 73 ARF genes, and its putative extent parental diploids G. arboreum and G. raimondii, which have 36 and 35 ARFs, respectively. Ka and Ks analyses revealed that in G. hirsutum ARF genes have undergone asymmetric evolution in the two subgenomes. The cotton ARFs can be classified into four phylogenetic clades and are actively expressed in young tissues. We demonstrate that GhARF2b, a homolog of the Arabidopsis AtARF2, was preferentially expressed in developing ovules and fibers. Overexpression of GhARF2b by a fiber specific promoter inhibited fiber cell elongation but promoted initiation and, conversely, its downregulation by RNAi of resulted in fewer but longer fiber. Conclusion: Our results uncover an important role of the ARF factor in modulating cotton fiber development at the early stage.