**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN ADDITION TO ITS IMPORTANCE FOR NATURAL FIBER PRODUCTION, COTTON IS AN IMPORTANT OILSEED CROP WITHIN THE U.S. ECONOMY. COTTON IS UNUSUAL COMPARED TO OTHER CROPS IN THAT IT ACCUMULATES CYCLIC FATTY ACIDS (CFAS) AS A COMPONENT OF THE OIL, BUT ONLY IN THE EMBRYONIC AXIS TISSUES OF ITS SEEDS AS WELL AS IN THE ROOTS AND STEMS OF SEEDLINGS. CFAS HAVE WIDE-RANGING POTENTIAL USES FROM HIGH-VALUE INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES TO NUTRITION-ORIENTED USES, AND LIKELY SERVE UNKNOWN PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN COTTON. EFFORTS TO PRODUCE CFAS IN OTHER CROPS HAVE BEEN MET WITH LIMITED SUCCESS DUE TO A SURPRISING LACK OF FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO DISCOVER THE GENES THAT ENCODE THE METABOLIC ENZYMES FOR COTTON CFAS. IN ADDITION, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THERE ARE SPECIFIC PROTEINS INVOLVED IN THE STORAGE OF CFAS, AND THESE MAY BE IN PART RESPONSIBLE FOR CFA TISSUE-SPECIFIC ACCUMULATION. A COMBINATION OF GENETIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CELL BIOLOGY APPROACHES WILL UNCOVER GENE TARGETS THAT ULTIMATELY CANBE INTEGRATED INTO SEED BREEDING PROGRAMS TO MANIPULATE CFA CONTENT AND IMPROVE COTTONSEED VALUE.