Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module

Qiao, Zhiqing; Ding, Junli; Wang, Qiaoling; Yan, Xingying; Gao, Yinghui; Tan, Pingting; Liu, Ning; Liu, Fei; Luo, Ming

doi:10.3390/agronomy16030324

Open AccessArticle

Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module

by

Zhiqing Qiao

^1,2,

Junli Ding

^1,2,

Qiaoling Wang

^1,2,

Xingying Yan

^1,2,

Yinghui Gao

^1,2,

Pingting Tan

^1,2,

Ning Liu

^1,2,

Fei Liu

^1,2 and

Ming Luo

^1,2,*

¹

College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

²

Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Agronomy 2026, 16(3), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030324

Submission received: 18 December 2025 / Revised: 14 January 2026 / Accepted: 23 January 2026 / Published: 28 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lipid Action in Crop Development and Defense)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

Cotton is an important cash crop globally. Cotton fiber is the main economic product of cotton plants. Phosphorus, as one of the essential nutrients, plays an important role in plant growth and development. However, few studies focus on phosphorus regulating fiber elongation. In this study, we used the cotton ovule culture system in vitro to explore the effects of various phosphorus levels on fiber and ovule growth, and screened for phosphorus-responsive factor, as well as revealed its action mechanism. The results indicated that fiber elongation was more sensitive than ovule growth to phosphorus deficiency. GhPHR1, a homolog of phosphate starvation response 1 (PHR1) in upland cotton, was significantly upregulated in fibers and ovules under phosphorus-deficient conditions. GhPHR1 directly binds to the promoter of the glucosylceramide synthase gene in cotton (GhGCS1) and positively regulates its expression. Overexpressing GhGCS1 enhanced phosphorus uptake and transport in cotton, increased phosphorus content in fiber cells, and promoted fiber cell elongation. Conversely, downregulating GhGCS1 reduced phosphorus content in fiber cells and suppressed fiber elongation. These findings demonstrate the importance of the GhPHR1-GhGCS1 molecular module in regulating fiber cell elongation and elucidate the molecular mechanism by which phosphorus influences fiber elongation.

Keywords: sphingolipid; GhPHR1; GhGCS1; phosphorus metabolism; regulatory mechanism; cotton fiber

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Qiao, Z.; Ding, J.; Wang, Q.; Yan, X.; Gao, Y.; Tan, P.; Liu, N.; Liu, F.; Luo, M. Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module. Agronomy 2026, 16, 324. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030324

AMA Style

Qiao Z, Ding J, Wang Q, Yan X, Gao Y, Tan P, Liu N, Liu F, Luo M. Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module. Agronomy. 2026; 16(3):324. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030324

Chicago/Turabian Style

Qiao, Zhiqing, Junli Ding, Qiaoling Wang, Xingying Yan, Yinghui Gao, Pingting Tan, Ning Liu, Fei Liu, and Ming Luo. 2026. "Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module" Agronomy 16, no. 3: 324. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030324

APA Style

Qiao, Z., Ding, J., Wang, Q., Yan, X., Gao, Y., Tan, P., Liu, N., Liu, F., & Luo, M. (2026). Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module. Agronomy, 16(3), 324. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030324

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.

Article Menu

Phosphorus Regulates Cotton Fiber Development Through GhPHR1-GhGCS1 Module

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI