Identification and Functional Characterization of CsMYCs in Cucumber Glandular Trichome Development

Abstract

Glandular trichomes (GTs), specialized structures formed by the differentiation of plant epidermal cells, are known to play important roles in the resistance of plants to external biotic and abiotic stresses. These structures are capable of storing and secreting secondary metabolites, which often have important agricultural and medicinal values. In order to better understand the molecular developmental mechanisms of GTs, studies have been conducted in a variety of crops, including tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>), sweetworm (<i>Artemisia annua</i>), and cotton (<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i>). The MYC transcription factor of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family has been found to play an important role in GT development. In this study, a total of 13 cucumber MYC transcription factors were identified in the cucumber (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.) genome. After performing phylogenetic analyses and conserved motifs on the 13 <i>CsMYCs</i> in comparison to previously reported MYC transcription factors that regulate trichome development, seven candidate MYC transcription factors were selected. Through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), <i>CsMYC2</i> is found to negatively regulate GT formation while <i>CsMYC4</i>, <i>CsMYC5</i>, <i>CsMYC6</i>, <i>CsMYC7</i>, and <i>CsMYC8</i> are found to positively regulate GT formation. Furthermore, the two master effector genes, <i>CsMYC2</i> and <i>CsMYC7</i>, are observed to have similar expression patterns indicating that they co-regulate the balance of GT development in an antagonistic way.