Abstract
Leaf trichomes play vital roles in plant resistance and the quality of tea. Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) play an important role in regulating plant development and growth. In this study, a total of 134 CsbHLH proteins were identified in the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS) genome. They were divided into 17 subgroups according to the Arabidopsis thaliana classification. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that members of subgroups IIIc-I and IIIc-II might be associated with trichome formation. The expression patterns of CsbHLH116, CsbHLH133, CsbHLH060, CsbHLH028, CsbHLH024, CsbHLH112 and CsbHLH053 from clusters 1, 3 and 5 were similar to the trichome distribution in tea plants. CsbHLH024 and CsbHLH133 were located in the cell nucleus and possessed transcriptional activation ability. They could interact with CsTTG1, which is a regulator of tea trichome formation. This study provides useful information for further research on the function of CsbHLHs in trichome formation.
Highlights
Leaf trichomes play vital roles in plant resistance and the quality of tea
All CsbHLH proteins were divided into 17 subgroups according to the Arabidopsis thaliana classification[64]
CsbHLH024 and CsbHLH133 classified into the ‘trichome-related group’ and included in cluster 3 were highly expressed in the tender tissues of different tea plant cultivars
Summary
Leaf trichomes play vital roles in plant resistance and the quality of tea. CsbHLH024 and CsbHLH133 were located in the cell nucleus and possessed transcriptional activation ability They could interact with CsTTG1, which is a regulator of tea trichome formation. Arabidopsis thaliana trichome development is an ideal model for the study of cell differentiation[22]. Many transcription factors (TFs) are associated with trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana, including R2R3-MYB TFs, bHLH TFs and WD40-repeat (WDR) proteins[23,24,25]. Tea trichomes contain abundant metabolites, including theanine, catechins, volatiles and caffeine[30,31]. These metabolites have different flavors and tastes in tea infusions. Some signaling genes related to diseases and anti-herbivore and anti-abiotic peptides were transcribed in tea t richomes[32]
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