Identification and mapping of Tril, a homeodomain-leucine zipper gene involved in multicellular trichome initiation in Cucumis sativus.

Key Message: Using map-based cloning of Tril gene, we identified a homeodomain-leucine zipper gene involved in the initiation of multicellular trichomes (including the spines of fruit) in cucumber.

Abstract: Fruit spines are a special type of trichome that impacts the quality and appearance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit.

Transcriptome analysis in Cucumis sativus identifies genes involved in multicellular trichome development.

The regulatory gene network of unicellular trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana has been studied intensively, but that of multicellular remains unclear. In the present study, we characterized cucumber trichomes as representative multicellular and unbranched structures, but in a spontaneous mutant, mict (micro-trichome), all trichomes showed a micro-size and stunted morphologies. We revealed the transcriptome profile using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing technology, and determined that a total of 1391 genes exhibited differential expression.