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SUMMARYGlandular trichomes are the phytochemical factories of plants, and they secrete a wide range of commercially important natural products such as lipids, terpenes and flavonoids. Herein, we report that the Nicotiana tabacum LTP1 (NtLTP1) gene, which is specifically expressed in long glandular trichomes, plays a role in lipid secretion from trichome heads. NtLTP1 mRNA is abundantly transcribed in trichomes, but NtLTP3, NtLTP4 and NtLTP5 are not. In situ hybridization revealed that NtLTP1 mRNAs accumulate specifically in long trichomes and not in short trichomes or epidermal cells. X-gluc staining of leaves from a transgenic plant expressing the NtLTP1 promoter fused to a GUS gene revealed that NtLTP1 protein accumulated preferentially on the tops of long glandular trichomes. GFP fluorescence from transgenic tobacco plants expressing an NtLTP1-GFP fusion protein was localized at the periphery of cells and in the excreted liquid droplets from the glandular trichome heads. In vitro assays using a fluorescent 2-p-toluidinonaphthalene-6-sulfonate probe indicated that recombinant NtLTP1 had lipid-binding activity. The overexpression of NtLTP1 in transgenic tobacco plants resulted in the increased secretion of trichome exudates, including epicuticular wax. In transgenic NtLTP1-RNAi lines, liquid secretion from trichomes was strongly reduced, but epicuticular wax secretion was not altered. Moreover, transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing NtLTP1 showed increased protection against aphids. Taken together, these data suggest that NtLTP1 is abundantly expressed in long glandular trichomes, and may play a role in lipid secretion from long glandular trichomes.

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Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) plants have short and long glandular trichomes. There is evidence that tobacco trichomes play several roles in the defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. cDNA libraries were constructed from control and cadmium (Cd)-treated leaf trichomes. Almost 2,000 expressed sequence tag (EST) cDNA clones were sequenced to analyze gene expression in control and Cd-treated leaf trichomes. Genes for stress response as well as for primary metabolism scored highly, indicating that the trichome is a biologically active and stress-responsive tissue. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that antipathogenic T-phylloplanin-like proteins, glutathione peroxidase and several classes of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins were expressed specifically or dominantly in trichomes. Cysteine-rich PR proteins, such as non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) and metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitors, are candidates for the sequestration of metals. The expression of osmotin and thaumatin-like proteins was induced by Cd treatment in both leaves and trichomes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that glutathione levels in tip cells of both long and short trichomes were higher than those in other types of leaf cells, indicating the presence of an active sulfur-dependent protective system in trichomes. Our results revealed that the trichome-specific transcriptome approach is a powerful tool to investigate the defensive functions of trichomes against both abiotic and biotic stress. Trichomes are shown to be an enriched source of useful genes for molecular breeding towards stress-tolerant plants.

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