Updated publication reference for PubMed record(s): 30862676. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most important economic crops and exhibits yield-improving heterosis in specific hybrid combinations. The genic male-sterility system is the main strategy used for producing heterosis in cotton. To better understand the mechanisms of male sterility in cotton, we carried out label-free quantitative proteomics analysis in the anthers of two near-isogenic lines, the male-sterile line 1355A and the male-fertile line 1355B, the two isogenic lines. These experiments, along with bioinformatics analyses, identified 124 proteins from the anthers at uninucleate pollen stage (stage 8) that were significantly differentially expressed between these two lines.