Use of An Insertional Mutant of Arabidopsis to Study Trichome Formation

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The long term goal of this proposal is to obtain an understanding of the molecular processes involved in the differentiation of an epidermal cell into a plant hair (trichome). The specific objectives include: 1) Isolate and characterize a gene required for elaboration of stem trichomes on Arabiopsis. 2) Explore the utility of the trichome gene as a marker for transformation. 3) Isolate and characterize other trichome specific genes. The starting point for this work is a mutant of Arabidopsis that lacks stem trichomes. This mutant was isolated from a population of plants that were transformed with Agrobacterium. Because the mutation is most likely induced by a T-DNA insert, the isolation of the trichome gene will be facilitated by a T-DNA probe. The significance is three fold. First, the differentiation of an epidermal cell into a trichome provides a relatively simple model for cell differentiation. Second, since trichomes are associated with important traits such as insect resistance, salt tolerance, and cotton quality, the understanding of trichome formation on Arabidopsis may provide information on how trichomes of crop species might be manipulated for crop improvement. Finally, the stem trichome gene may function as a visible transformation marker. %%% Dr. Marks is studying the differentiation of an epidermal cell into a plant hair (trichome). This provides a relatively simple model for studying cell differentiation. Since trichomes are associated with important traits such as insect resistance, salt tolerance, and cotton quality, the understanding of trichome formation on Arabidopsis (a plant more amenable to study than commercially important crops) may provide information on how trichomes of crop species might be manipulated for crop improvement.