Exploring the Roles of the Cets Gene Family in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) Development

The CETS (CENTRORADIALIS / TERMINAL FLOWER 1 / SELF-PRUNING) gene family is shown to impact development in a broad spectrum of plants. We demonstrated that branching patterns in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) are regulated by the activities of two CETS genes, SINGLE FLOWER TRUSS (SFT) and SELF-PRUNING (SP). The goal of this project is to explore the roles of the remaining CETS genes in regulating cotton architecture. As part of our analyses, we transiently manipulated expression of each CETS gene using virus induced gene silencing in ancestral and domesticated cotton varieties.  Inoculated plants are monitored for phenotypes and these will be correlated with virus titer using immunoblotting. In a complementary effort, we will transiently over-express each CETS gene from a virus vector and examine infected plants for changes in branching patterns, timing of flowering, and yield. The results of these experiments may illuminate potential targets to optimize cotton agriculture for different regions.