Trichome mutants
Trichomes (leaf hairs) of tomato and its wild relatives are classified in seven morphological categories (I-VII). Tomato displays glandular trichomes of the types I, VI and VII but lacks type IV, which appears to confer arthropod resistance to some wild Solanum species. The non-glandular (tectors) trichomes present in tomato are types III and V. Tomato thichome mutants carry altered genes controlling the differentiation of epidermal cells into trichomes. Mutations affecting some classes of hormones (jasmonic acid and brassinosteroid) have also an impact in trichome formation. The study of the developmental programs controlling trichome differentiation is not only important to improve tomato defense against arthropods, but also to foster the production of important pharmaceutical compounds in other species which harbour homologous structures (e.g. Artemisia annua). Please click on the name of each mutant to obtain information about its molecular identity (gene function, if known) and phenotype (gene effect of a given allele).
Galapagos enhanced trichomes (Get)