The Arabidopsis thaliana MYB5 gene is expressed in trichomes and seeds, including the seed coat. Constitutive expression of MYB5 resulted in the formation of more small trichomes and ectopic trichomes and a reduction in total leaf trichome numbers and branching. A myb5 mutant displayed minimal changes in trichome morphology, while a myb23 mutant produced increased numbers of small trichomes and...

We use wavelet-type discrete transforms for signal analysis on strings of finite length. We apply these transforms for edge and hidden Markov process detection. We also present new approaches for string matching and for measures of the diversity of chaotic strings.

A recent publication by Schellmann et al. (2002) in The EMBO Journal has provided important insights into the control of cell fate and pattern formation in plants. To study the underlying molecular mechanisms, the authors made use of the development of root hairs and trichomes in Arabidopsis thaliana. A. thaliana trichomes are large, unicellular structures that project out from the shoot epider...

Leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana bear trichomes, or hairs, which are spaced in an approximately regular pattern on their adaxial side. Trichome cells differentiate in the fast-growing basal part of the leaf and do not divide. The regular spacing of trichomes is controlled by cell-to-cell interactions (Larkin et al., 1997). We created simulation models of these interactions to gain a better unders...

Cell morphogenesis, i.e. the acquisition of a particular cell shape, can be examined genetically in the three-branched trichomes that differentiate from single epidermal cells on the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. In normal development, the growing trichome cell undergoes two successive branching events, resulting in a proximal side stem and a distal main stem which subsequently splits in two ...

More than twenty genes are required for the correct initiation, spacing, and morphogenesis of trichomes in Arabidopsis. The initial selection of trichome precursors requires the activity of both the GLABROUS1 (GL1) and TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABROUS (TTG) genes. The GLABRA2 (GL2) gene is required for subsequent phases of trichome morphogenesis such as cell expansion, branching, and maturation of th...

Large and diverse genera, such as Silene need more reliable morphological traits for the credible identification and delimitation of the species. Despite the fact that the type of indumentum among the species of Silene had been addressed in most available revisions, monographs and floristic studies, the trichome-based features and their adaptational importance have not been investigated explici...

Trichomes are specialized epidermal structures that function as physical and chemical deterrents against arthropod herbivores. Aerial tissues of cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) are populated by several morphologically distinct trichome types, the most abundant of which is the type VI glandular trichome that produces various specialized metabolites. Here, the effect of the hairless (hl)...

Plant defenses inducible by herbivorous arthropods can determine performance of subsequent feeding herbivores. We investigated how infestation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants with the Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) alters host plant suitability and foraging decisions of their conspecifics. We explored the role of delayed-induced jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated plant defe...

*The patterning of epidermal cell types in Arabidopsis is an excellent model for studying the molecular basis of cell specification. Trichome and root hair formation is controlled by a transcriptional activator complex that induces the homeobox gene GLABRA2 (GL2) and some single-repeat R3 MYB genes (single MYB). However, it remains unclear how the actions of GL2 and single MYBs are coordinated ...