Morphogenesis of multicellular glandular trichomes in plants.

Abstract

As the outermost epidermal structures, trichomes mediate plant-environment interactions and play critical roles in plant adaptation and stress responses. Beyond providing physical protection, many trichomes develop specialized glandular structures capable of biosynthesizing a diverse array of secondary metabolites with defensive functions. In addition, these compounds derived from glandular trichomes (GTs) also possess substantial economic value. Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms governing GT development is therefore essential for improving plant stress tolerance and for harnessing synthetic biology to produce high-value compounds. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding GT morphogenesis and discuss major challenges and future directions in the field.