A regulatory gene induces trichome formation and embryo lethality in tomato
- 5 July 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 108 (29), 11836-11841
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1100532108
Abstract
Trichomes are universal biological structures originating from the aerial epidermis, which serve as an excellent model to study plant differentiation at the cell level. Although the pathway regulating trichome formation in the Rosids has been well characterized, only very recently a few genes were identified for trichome initiation in the Asterids. In this study, we cloned Woolly (Wo), essential for trichome formation in tomato. Transgenic experiments revealed that the woolly phenotype is caused by the mutation in Wo which encodes a homeodomain protein containing a bZIP motif and a START domain. We identified three alleles of Wo and found that each allele contains a missense mutation, which respectively results in an amino acid substitution at the C terminus. Microarray and expression analysis showed that the expression of a B-type cyclin gene, SlCycB2, is possibly regulated by Wo, which also participates in trichome formation. Suppression of Wo or SlCycB2 expression by RNAi decreased the number of type I trichomes, and direct protein–protein interaction was detected between them, implying that both proteins may work together in the regulation of this type of trichome formation. Cytological observation and Wo transcript analysis in the developing seeds showed that embryo development was also correlated with Wo.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Genetic Regulatory Network in the Development of Trichomes and Root HairsAnnual Review of Plant Biology, 2008
- Functional Analysis of a Predicted Flavonol Synthase Gene Family in ArabidopsisPlant Physiology, 2008
- The true story of the HD-Zip familyTrends in Plant Science, 2007
- Trichomes: different regulatory networks lead to convergent structuresTrends in Plant Science, 2006
- Plant trichomes: a model for cell differentiationNature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2004
- Convergent evolution within the genus Solanum: the specialised anther cone develops through alternative pathwaysGene, 2004
- Epidermal cell fate and patterning in leaves.Plant Cell, 1997
- The GLABRA2 gene encodes a homeo domain protein required for normal trichome development in Arabidopsis.Genes & Development, 1994
- Trichome Development in Arabidopsis thaliana. I. T-DNA Tagging of the GLABROUS1 GenePlant Cell, 1989
- The Time and Site of the Semidominant Lethal Action of "Wo" in Lycopersicon esculentumAmerican Journal of Botany, 1962