Premium
TINY BRANCHED HAIR functions in multicellular trichome development through an ethylene pathway in Cucumis sativus L.
Author(s) -
Zhang Yaqi,
Shen Junjun,
Bartholomew Ezra S.,
Dong Mingming,
Chen Shuying,
Yin Shuai,
Zhai Xuling,
Feng Zhongxuan,
Ren Huazhong,
Liu Xingwang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.15198
Subject(s) - trichome , cucumis , biology , botany , cucurbitaceae , mutant , multicellular organism , gene , phenotype , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
Summary The fruit trichomes of Cucurbitaceae are widely desired in many Asian countries and have been a key determinant of cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) cultivar selection for commercial production and breeding. However, our understanding of the initiation and development of cucumber trichomes is still limited. Here, we found that the cucumber TINY BRANCHED HAIR ( TBH ) gene is preferentially expressed in multicellular trichomes. Overexpression of CsTBH in tbh mutants restored the trichome phenotype and increased the percentage of female flowers, whereas silencing of CsTBH in wild‐type plants resulted in stunted trichomes with a lower rate of female flowers. Furthermore, we provide evidence that CsTBH can directly bind to the promoters of cucumber 1‐Aminocyclopropane‐1‐Carboxylate Synthase ( CsACS ) genes and regulate their expression, which affects multicellular trichome development, ethylene accumulation, and sex expression. Two cucumber acs mutants with different trichome morphology and sex morphs compared with their near‐isogenic line further support our findings. Collectively, our study provides new information on the molecular mechanism of CsTBH in regulating multicellular trichome development and sex expression through an ethylene pathway.