Interaction between calcium and potassium modulates elongation rate in cotton fiber cells

Abstract

Calcium (Ca²⁺) is necessary for fiber cell development in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), both as a cell wall structural component and for environmental signaling responses. It is also known that potassium (K⁺) plays a critical role in cotton fiber cell elongation. However, it is unclear whether Ca²⁺ integrates its activities with K⁺ to regulate fiber elongation. Here, we report the novel discovery that Ca²⁺ deficiency, when integrated with K⁺ signaling, promotes fiber elongation. Using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we determined dynamic profiles of the ionome in ovules and fibers at different developmental stages, and found that a high accumulation of macro-elements, but not Ca²⁺, was associated with longer fibers. Using an in vitro ovule culture system, we found that under Ca²⁺-deficient conditions, sufficient K⁺ (52 mM) rapidly induced ovule and fiber browning, while reduced K⁺ (2 or 27 mM) not only suppressed tissue browning but also altered fiber elongation. Reduced K⁺ also enhanced reactive oxygen species scavenging ability and maintained abscisic acid and jasmonic acid levels, which in turn compensated for Ca²⁺ deficiency. Ca²⁺ deficiency combined with reduced K⁺ (0 mM Ca²⁺ and 27 mM K⁺) produced longer fibers in cultured ovules, due to cell wall loosening by phytosulfokine (PSK), expansin (EXP), and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH), and an increase of the K⁺ content of fiber cells. Using transgenic cotton, we showed that the CBL-INTERACTING PROTEIN KINASE 6 (GhCIPK6) gene mediates the uptake of K⁺ under Ca²⁺-deficient conditions. This study establishes a new link between Ca²⁺, K⁺, and fiber elongation.