Abstract
A number of potential genes and pathways involved in tepal trichome development were identified in a natural lily mutant by transcriptome analysis and were confirmed with trichome and trichomeless species. Trichome is a specialized structure found on the surface of the plant with an important function in survival against abiotic and biotic stress. It is also an important economic trait in crop breeding. Extensive research has investigated the foliar trichome in model plants (Arabidopsis and tomato). However, the developmental mechanism of tepal trichome remains elusive. Lilium pumilum is an edible ornamental bulb and a good breeding parent possessing cold and salt-alkali resistance. Here, we found a natural mutant of Lilium pumilum grown on a highland whose tepals are covered by trichomes. Our data indicate that trichomes of the mutant are multicellular and branchless. Notably, stomata are also developed on the tepal of the mutant as well, suggesting there may be a correlation between trichome and stomata regulation. Furthermore, we isolated 27 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by comparing the transcriptome profiling between the natural mutant and the wild type. These 27 genes belong to 4 groups: epidermal cell cycle and division, trichome morphogenesis, stress response, and transcription factors. Quantitative real-time PCR in Lilium pumilum (natural mutant and the wild type) and other lily species (Lilium leichtlinii var. maximowiczii/trichome; Lilium davidii var. willmottiae/, trichomeless) confirmed the validation of RNA-seq data and identified several trichome-related genes.
Highlights
Plant have specialized structures that are differentiated from epidermal cells, and grow on the plant epidermis, called trichomes (Hulskamp 2004)
We observed that the trichome was composed of multiple cells in the longitudinal section, which was consistent with the Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations (Fig. 1f)
Identification of differentially expressed genes related to trichome development To identify genes that may participate in trichome development, we examined the difference in gene expression between TR and TL in Lilium pumilum
Summary
Plant have specialized structures that are differentiated from epidermal cells, and grow on the plant epidermis, called trichomes (Hulskamp 2004). Trichomes serve as a natural barrier between the plant surface and its environment, and play a crucial role in protecting against biotic and abiotic stress, such as protecting plants from pathogens, preventing ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage, and providing drought resistance (Bac-Molenaar et al 2019; Tang et al 2020; Ozturk Cali and Karavin 2020). The glandular trichomes of Artemisia annua can produce artemisinin which is a known vital antimalarial drug (Zhou et al 2020). Cotton trichomes are an important resource for fiber and textile production, with enormous economic value (Ma et al 2016). Trichomes are economically important for crop breeding
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