Research progress on the functions of non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins in cotton fiber development

• 1、College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China

Abstract：Cotton fiber development serves as an ideal model for studying plant single-cell growth, and its high spatiotemporal precision depends on post-transcriptional regulation. This paper systematically reviews the functional mechanisms of non-coding RNA (miRNA, lncRNA, siRNA) and RNA-binding proteins in cotton fiber development, synergistically constitute a post-transcriptional regulatory network. miRNA regulate fiber initiation and elongation through target mRNA cleavage or translational repression, as exemplified by the miR156-SPL module. lncRNA participate in hormone signal transduction and fatty acid metabolism via competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. siRNA, derived from inverted repeat transcripts, can inhibit fiber elongation. RNA-binding proteins (e.g., PPR proteins) affect fiber cell energy metabolism by regulating mitochondrial RNA splicing. To date, a multi-layered regulatory framework has been established; however, functional validation remains insufficient, and cross-layer coordination mechanisms are still poorly understood. Future efforts should integrate gene editing, single-cell omics, and other advanced technologies to dissect the dynamic regulatory network, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the molecular improvement of fiber quality.

Keywords： cotton fiber miRNA lncRNA siRNA RNA-binding protein