Cotton ethylene response factor GhERF91 is involved in the defense against Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium dahliae causes significant losses in cotton production. To reveal the mechanism of the defense response to V. dahliae in cotton, transcriptomic analyses were performed using cotton cultivars M138 (V. dahliae-resistant) and P2 (V. dahliae-susceptible). The results revealed 11,076 and 6,640 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to V. dahliae, respectively. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis of 4,633 transcription factors (TFs) indicated a “MEblue” module containing 654 TFs that strongly correlate with resistance to V. dahliae. Among these TFs, the ethylene response factor Ghi_A05G10166 (GhERF91) was identified as a putative hub gene with a defense response against V. dahliae. A virus-induced gene silencing assay and exogenous application of ethephon showed that GhERF91 is activated by ethylene and positively regulates the response to V. dahliae exposure in cotton. This study provides fundamental transcriptome data and a putative causal gene (GhERF91) associated with resistance to V. dahliae, as well as genetic resources for breeding V. dahliae-resistant cotton.