以陆地棉（Gossypium hirsutumL.）品种TM-1开花后9d、21d、27d三个不同发育时期的棉花纤维为材料，利用mRNA荧光差异显示（FDD）技术，筛选到109个差异显示的cDNA片段。在此基础上，结合两轮反Northem杂交筛选和Nonhern杂交分析，获得了多个仅在棉花纤维细胞中特异表达或在纤维中优先表达基因的cDNA片段，序列测定和数据库搜索分析表明，这些cDNA片段中的多数还未有报道。本工作为克隆上述基因的全长cDNA，并进一步研究它们在棉纤维发育中的功能奠定了基础。

A cDNA library was constructed using poly (A)+ RNA isolated from-1 15 DPA fibers of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The cDNA encoding a b-tubulin isoform (designated as GhTub1) was identified through EST search. Northern blot analysis using 3-UTR of the cDNA as a gene-specific probe was performed to investigate the expression levels of GhTub1 in various organs and in the developing fibers. The results showed that GhTub1 gene was specifically expressed in cotton fiber cells. During fiber development, GhTub1 transcripts accumulated highly at the stage of cell rapid elongation with the highest expression appearing at the time when fiber expansion reaches the peak rate. To probe the in vivo function of GhTub1, its cDNA was cloned in the yeast expression vector pREP1 and transformed into the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Overexpression of GhTub1 in yeast cells caused severe changes in the cell morphology. These results suggest that GhTub1 may play a role in the polar elongation of cotton fibers. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the fiber-specific transcript accumulation of a cotton b-tubulin gene.

以陆地棉（Gossypium hirsutum）纤维发育前期和中期的胚珠及纤维细胞为材料构建cDNA文库，通过ESTs分析获得了一个β-微管蛋白家族成员（GhTub1）。以该cDNA的3’-UTR为探针，利用Northern杂交方法，对GhTub1基因在棉花不同器官及棉纤维不同发育阶段的表达进行了分析，发现该基因的表达具有棉纤维细胞特异性。在纤维发育过程中，GhTub1转录产物的累积主要发生在纤维细胞延伸阶段，在纤维延伸速度最快时达到高峰。利用裂殖酵母系统，对GhTub1的细胞内功能进行了初步分析，发现该基因在酵母中过量表达能使其细胞显著伸长或分支。这些实验结果暗示GhTub1基因可能在纤维细胞的极性延伸中具有功能。