Molecular characterisation and functional analysis of a cytochrome P450 gene in cotton

Verticillium wilt causes devastating loss of yield and quality in many crops, including cotton. To determine the molecular mechanism of resistance to verticillium wilt in cotton, we isolated a new cytochrome P450 gene, CYP94C1, and analysed its function. We obtained the complete open reading frame, which encodes a protein of 500 amino acids. The results of the functional analysis showed that resistance to verticillium wilt was enhanced when the gene was silenced using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method in cotton. GbCYP94C1-overexpressing Arabidopsis was more susceptible to Verticillium dahliae compared with the wild-type. In addition, GbCYP94C1 played a role in plant wound responses and in the expression of certain jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathway. The results suggest that GbCYP94C1 plays a role in verticillium wilt resistance in cotton via the JA signalling pathway.