Cross-regulation of secondary cell wall formation: a case study on MYB44 in cotton fibers

Abstract

Abstract This paper systematically reviews breakthrough advances in research on cotton secondary cell wall (SCW) regulation and illustrates a novel four-tiered “MYB–NAC–MYB–structural gene” regulatory cascade orchestrated by GhMYB44. GhMYB44-interacting protein complexes sequentially activate key downstream genes related to fiber formation, establishing an efficient “initiation–amplification–execution” regulatory system, which represents an adaptive evolutionary module unique to Malvaceae. This review also discusses current research limitations and proposes future strategies that integrate multi-omics approaches and germplasm resource exploration.