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Review Article|01 Jul 2021|OPEN
Glandular trichomes: new focus on horticultural crops
Zhongxuan Feng1,2 , Ezra S. Bartholomew1,2 , Ziyu Liu3 , Yuanyuan Cui1,2 , Yuming Dong1,2 , Sen Li1,2 , Haoying Wu1,2 , Huazhong Ren1,2,4 , , Xingwang Liu,1,2 ,
1Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Horticultural Crops Breeding and Propagation, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, P. R. China
2Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, P. R. China
3Library of China Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, P. R. China
4State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation, Tianjin, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: renhuazhong@cau.edu.cn,liuxw01@cau.edu.cn

Horticulture Research 8,
Article number: 158 (2021)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-021-00592-1
Views: 625

Received: 14 Jan 2021
Revised: 07 Apr 2021
Accepted: 10 May 2021
Published online: 01 Jul 2021

Abstract

Plant glandular trichomes (GTs) are epidermal outgrowths with the capacity to biosynthesize and secrete specialized metabolites, that are of great scientific and practical significance. Our understanding of the developmental process of GTs is limited, and no single plant species serves as a unique model. Here, we review the genetic mechanisms of GT initiation and development and provide a summary of the biosynthetic pathways of GT-specialized metabolites in nonmodel plant species, especially horticultural crops. We discuss the morphology and classification of GT types. Moreover, we highlight technological advancements in methods employed for investigating GTs. Understanding the molecular basis of GT development and specialized metabolites not only offers useful avenues for research in plant breeding that will lead to the improved production of desirable metabolites, but also provides insights for plant epidermal development research.