Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are important elements of the cellular group of molecular chaperones. Specifically, HSP70 proteins protect cells from being damaged when plants are exposed to environmental stresses. These proteins are catalysts that manage the correct folding of other proteins, and they play a key role in the development of tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, 113 HSP70 genes were retrieved from the available genome assemblies of four cotton species, including Gossypium hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii. The HSP70 genes were clustered into 11 subfamilies based on phylogeny. One hundred and nine (109) gene duplications were found across these four species. Localization of genes revealed that several HSP70 genes reside in the cytoplasm. Synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates revealed that functional segregation of HSP70 genes in cotton is due to purifying selection. Furthermore, HSP70 genes in cotton are expressed constitutively during developmental stages. These findings are valuable to understand the complex mechanism of HSP70 gene regulation that occurs in signaling pathways in response to plant stress.

热休克蛋白 (HSP) 是分子伴侣细胞群的重要组成部分。具体而言，当植物暴露于环境压力时，HSP70 蛋白可保护细胞免受损伤。这些蛋白质是管理其他蛋白质正确折叠的催化剂，它们在对生物和非生物胁迫的耐受性的发展中起着关键作用。在本研究中，从四种棉花物种的可用基因组组装中检索到113 个HSP70基因，包括Gossypium hirsutum、G. barbadense、G. arboreum和G. raimondii。该HSP70根据系统发育将基因分为 11 个亚家族。在这四个物种中发现了一百零九 (109) 个基因重复。基因定位揭示了几个HSP70基因存在于细胞质中。同义和非同义替换率表明棉花中HSP70基因的功能分离是由于纯化选择。此外，棉花中的HSP70基因在发育阶段组成型表达。这些发现对于理解在响应植物胁迫的信号通路中发生的HSP70基因调控的复杂机制很有价值。