Genomic Insights into Genes: Key Role in Cotton Leaf Abscission Formation.

The cytokinin response regulator () gene is essential for cytokinin signal transduction, which plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the functional mechanism of genes in cotton leaf abscission remains incompletely understood. In this study, a total of 86 genes were identified within the genome of . These genes were categorized into four distinct groups based on their phylogenetic characteristics, supported by analyses of gene structures and conserved protein motifs. The genes exhibited an uneven distribution across 25 chromosomes, with three pairs of tandem duplication events observed. Both segmental and tandem duplication events significantly contributed to the expansion of the gene family. Furthermore, numerous putative cis-elements were identified in the promoter regions, with hormone and stress-related elements being common among all 86 s. Transcriptome expression profiling screening results demonstrated that s may play a mediating role in cotton's response to TDZ (). The functional validation of , , and using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology demonstrated that the silencing of these genes led to pronounced leaf wilting and chlorosis in plants, accompanied by a substantial decrease in petiole fracture force. Overall, our study represents a comprehensive analysis of the gene family, revealing their potential roles in leaf abscission regulation.