Time-series transcriptome and metabolome profiling reveals GhWRKY33 as positive regulator in cotton response to Verticillium dahliae infection
- 1Cotton Research Institute, Xinjiang Science Academy of Agriculture and Reclamation, Ministry of Agriculture
- 2Cotton Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
- 3College of Modern Agriculture and Food Engineering, Xinjiang Vocational University of Technology
Abstract
Verticillium wilt severely limits global cotton production, yet the molecular basis of early resistance in upland cotton remains poorly understood. Here, we integrated time-series transcriptomics and untargeted metabolomics to resolve early defense dynamics in cotton seedling roots of the VW-resistant cultivar Jinken1775 and the susceptible cultivar Junmian1 at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 72 h post-inoculation (hpi) with Verticillium dahliae . Results revealed distinct early defense dynamics. The resistant genotype exhibited restrained yet sustained transcriptional activation coupled with preferential flavonoid/lipid accumulation, whereas the susceptible cultivar displayed disordered reprogramming. Integrated analysis of DEGs and DAMs resolved resistance circuits enriched in calcium signaling, membrane remodeling, and secondary metabolism. Network inference positioned GhWRKY33 as a central hub connecting early signal transduction with downstream metabolic reprogramming. Virus-induced gene silencing of GhWRKY33 significantly compromised cotton resistance to V. dahliae , indicating its positive regulatory role in the defense response. Haplotype analysis across 419 upland cotton accessions further revealed that favorable GhWRKY33 alleles are preferentially enriched in resistant lines. This study provided molecular targets for genetic improvement of disease resistance.
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BibTeX
@article{han2026timeseries,
title = {{Time-series transcriptome and metabolome profiling reveals GhWRKY33 as positive regulator in cotton response to Verticillium dahliae infection}},
author = {Wanli Han and Gang Wang and Zhibin Zhang and Fuxiang Zhao and Xuwen Wang and Tao Yang and Shidong Wang and Li Liu and Jinxin Qiao and Aijun Si and Yu Yu and Xianhui Kong},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1959387},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1959387/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time-series transcriptome and metabolome profiling reveals GhWRKY33 as positive regulator in cotton response to Verticillium dahliae infection
AU - Wanli Han
AU - Gang Wang
AU - Zhibin Zhang
AU - Fuxiang Zhao
AU - Xuwen Wang
AU - Tao Yang
AU - Shidong Wang
AU - Li Liu
AU - Jinxin Qiao
AU - Aijun Si
AU - Yu Yu
AU - Xianhui Kong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1959387
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1959387/full
AB - Verticillium wilt severely limits global cotton production, yet the molecular basis of early resistance in upland cotton remains poorly understood. Here, we integrated time-series transcriptomics and untargeted metabolomics to resolve early defense dynamics in cotton seedling roots of the VW-resistant cultivar Jinken1775 and the susceptible cultivar Junmian1 at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 72 h post-inoculation (hpi) with Verticillium dahliae . Results revealed distinct early defense dynamics. The resistant genotype exhibited restrained yet sustained transcriptional activation coupled with preferential flavonoid/lipid accumulation, whereas the susceptible cultivar displayed disordered reprogramming. Integrated analysis of DEGs and DAMs resolved resistance circuits enriched in calcium signaling, membrane remodeling, and secondary metabolism. Network inference positioned GhWRKY33 as a central hub connecting early signal transduction with downstream metabolic reprogramming. Virus-induced gene silencing of GhWRKY33 significantly compromised cotton resistance to V. dahliae , indicating its positive regulatory role in the defense response. Haplotype analysis across 419 upland cotton accessions further revealed that favorable GhWRKY33 alleles are preferentially enriched in resistant lines. This study provided molecular targets for genetic improvement of disease resistance.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -