GbCYP86A1-1 from Gossypium barbadense positively regulates defence against Verticillium dahliae by cell wall modification and activation of immune pathways.

Suberin acts as stress-induced antipathogen barrier in the root cell wall. CYP86A1 encodes cytochrome P450 fatty acid ω-hydroxylase, which has been reported to be a key enzyme for suberin biosynthesis; however, its role in resistance to fungi and the mechanisms related to immune responses remain unknown. Here, we identified a disease resistance-related gene, GbCYP86A1-1, from Gossypium barbadense cv. Hai7124. There were three homologs of GbCYP86A1 in cotton, which are specifically expressed in roots and induced by Verticillium dahliae. Among them, GbCYP86A1-1 contributed the most significantly to resistance. Silencing of GbCYP86A1-1 in Hai7124 resulted in severely compromised resistance to V. dahliae, while heterologous overexpression of GbCYP86A1-1 in Arabidopsis improved tolerance. Tissue sections showed that the roots of GbCYP86A1-1 transgenic Arabidopsis had more suberin accumulation and significantly higher C16-C18 fatty acid content than control. Transcriptome analysis revealed that overexpression of GbCYP86A1-1 not only affected lipid biosynthesis in roots, but also activated the disease-resistant immune pathway; genes encoding the receptor-like kinases (RLKs), receptor-like proteins (RLPs), hormone-related transcription factors, and pathogenesis-related protein genes (PRs) were more highly expressed in the GbCYP86A1-1 transgenic line than control. Furthermore, we found that when comparing V. dahliae -inoculated and noninoculated plants, few differential genes related to disease immunity were detected in the GbCYP86A1-1 transgenic line; however, a large number of resistance genes were activated in the control. This study highlights the role of GbCYP86A1-1 in the defence against fungi and its underlying molecular immune mechanisms in this process.