Z inc F inger P rotein 6 ( ZFP 6 ) regulates trichome initiation by integrating gibberellin and cytokinin signaling in A rabidopsis thaliana

Summary The A rabidopsis trichome is a model system for studying cell development, cell differentiation and the cell cycle in plants. Our previous studies have shown that the ZINC FINGER PROTEIN 5 ( ZFP 5) controls shoot maturation and epidermal cell fate through GA signaling in A rabidopsis. We have identified a novel C 2 H 2 zinc finger protein ZINC FINGER PROTEIN 6 ( ZFP 6) which plays a key role in regulating trichome development in A rabidopsis . Overexpression of ZFP 6 results in ectopic trichomes on carpels and other inflorescence organs. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function analyses have shown that the zfp6 mutant exhibits a reduced number of trichomes in sepals of flowers, cauline leaves, lateral branch and main inflorescence stems in comparison to wild‐type plants. Molecular and genetic analyses suggest that ZFP 6 functions upstream of GIS , GIS 2 , ZFP 8 , ZFP 5 and key trichome initiation regulators GL 1 and GL 3 .We reveal that ZFP 6 and ZFP 5 mediate the regulation of trichome initiation by integrating GA and cytokinin signaling in A rabidopsis . These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of plant hormone control of epidermal trichome patterning through C 2 H 2 transcriptional factors.