Expression analysis of two novel cotton 14-3-3 genes in root development and in response to salt stress

14-3-3 proteins are phosphoserine-binding proteins that regulate the activities of a wide array of targets via direct protein–protein interactions, and may play an important role in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, two cDNAs (designated as Gh14-3-3b and Gh14-3-3c) encoding putative 14-3-3 proteins were isolated from cotton cDNA libraries. Gh14-3-3b gene encodes a protein of 268 amino acids, while Gh14-3-3c gene encodes a protein of 261 amino acids. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that both the Gh14-3-3b and Gh14-3-3c genes were preferentially expressed in roots. The transcript levels of both the genes were the highest in 3-day-old roots, and then dramatically decreased to relatively low levels in parallel with root development. In addition, the expression of these Gh14-3-3 genes in roots was significantly up regulated by salt treatments, suggesting that they may be involved in the signaling pathways in response to salt stress in cotton.