Proteome-based investigation of seeds from two Gossypium hirsutum L. Genotypes

Cotton is an important commercial crop regarding oil and fiber worldwide. It makes a significant contribution to the economy of Pakistan. The commercially significant cottonseed is used to produce oil, meal, linters, hulls, and other products. Heat stress is a major threat to cotton productivity, so there is a need to produce heat-resistant cotton crops to minimize yield losses. This proteomic study aims to identify and quantify differences in protein expression levels between heat-tolerant and heat-susceptible genotype seeds, providing insights into the molecular processes associated with heat stress tolerance by using LC-MS/MS analysis. We identified a total of 1807 proteins in heat-sensitive and 1564 in heat-tolerant genotypes. Gossypium hirsutum, L. seeds proteome exhibited the 44 significantly differentially expressed proteins that contributed to the understanding of heat tolerance-related biological processes occurring in the seeds during development. Protein functional classification showed that many identified proteins are involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, and energy production. In addition to these proteins, different peptidases, fiber-related proteins, and more than 100 heat tolerance-related proteins were also identified. This study provides understanding of the dynamics of the proteomes in two physiologically distinct cotton seeds that would help use heat-tolerant genotypes in future breeding programs.