Cotton (Gossypium) is an important natural fiber crop worldwide. Plant height, which is an important commercial cotton breeding trait, is also useful for plant architecture research. Crinkled Dwarf (cr), a natural mutant of Sea Island cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.), simultaneously displays crinkled leaves and dwarfing. However, the genes controlling cr have not been characterized, and the molecular mechanism of the trait remains unknown. In this study, genetic analysis indicated that cr was likely controlled by a major recessive gene, although the cr phenotype was sensitive to environmental factors, including light intensity. Using bulked-segregant analysis and recombinant methods, the cr gene was mapped to a 35.8-kbp genomic interval on chromosome D03 that contained three annotated protein-coding genes. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that cr enhanced stress/disease resistance and repressed plant development/growth. Endogenous phytohormone measurements showed that most auxin compounds were decreased in the cr mutant. Although the cr mutation was insensitive to exogenous auxin, gibberellin and cytokinin treatments promoted and repressed main stem elongation, respectively. However, no hormone treatment could fully rescue the crinkled leaf phenotype. These findings will contribute to the breeding of cotton lines with improved plant architecture or yield, and aid in the dissection of the genetic basis of cr.

棉花（Gossypium）是世界范围内重要的天然纤维作物。株高是重要的商业棉花育种性状，也可用于植物结构研究。海岛棉 ( Gossypium barbadense L.)的天然突变体Crinkled Dwarf ( cr )同时表现出皱叶和矮化。然而，控制cr的基因尚未被表征，并且该性状的分子机制仍然未知。在这项研究中，遗传分析表明cr可能由一个主要的隐性基因控制，尽管cr表型对环境因素敏感，包括光强度。使用批量分离分析和重组方法，cr基因被定位到染色体 D03 上一个 35.8 kbp 的基因组区间，其中包含三个注释的蛋白质编码基因。比较转录组分析表明，cr增强了胁迫/疾病抗性并抑制了植物发育/生长。内源性植物激素测量表明，大多数生长素化合物在cr突变体中减少。尽管cr突变对外源性生长素不敏感，但赤霉素和细胞分裂素处理促进和抑制主要茎伸长，分别。然而，没有激素治疗可以完全挽救皱叶表型。这些发现将有助于培育具有改善的植物结构或产量的棉花品系，并有助于剖析cr的遗传基础。