The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has conducted research on the mechanism of cotton response to alkali stress, and found that the cotton leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase gene ( GhLDOX3 ) regulates the alkali tolerance of cotton by regulating antioxidant capacity and cyanidin content, which is of guiding significance for revealing the mechanism of cotton alkali tolerance. The relevant research results were published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.

As the most common anthocyanin, cyanidin glucoside has antioxidant, anticancer, heart-protecting, blood circulation-enhancing, and cardiovascular-protecting effects. Most of its research focuses on human diseases. Currently, there are no reports on the molecular mechanism of cyanidin regulating cotton response to alkali stress.The study found that silencing the  GhLDOX3  gene increased the cyanidin content in cotton, which then enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes to scavenge reactive oxygen species and helped cotton resist the sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) stress. Overexpressing  GhLDOX3  gene in  Arabidopsis  reduced its antioxidant capacity and tolerance to Na₂CO₃stress compared to wild-type and mutant strains. These results indicate that this gene plays a negative regulatory role in the mechanism of resisting alkali stress. Therefore, this study suggests that regulating the expression of  GhLDOX3  gene can be considered in cotton breeding to improve its alkaline tolerance. The research results provide theoretical support for resistance research of cotton.

Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115655

By Wuwei Ye (yew158@163.com)