cot1: A regulator of Arabidopsis trichome initiation

In Arabidopsis, the timing and spatial arrangement of trichome initiation is tightly regulated and requires the activity of the GLABROUSI (GL1) gene. The COTYLEDON TRICHOME 1 (COT1) gene affects trichome initiation during late stages of leaf development and is described in this article. In the wild-type background, cot1 has no observable effect on trichome initiation. GL1 overexpression in wild-type plants leads to a modest number of ectopic trichomes and to a decrease in trichome number on the adaxial leaf surface. The cot1 mutation enhances GL1-overexpression-dependent ectopic trichome formation and also induces increased leaf trichome initiation. The expressivity of the cot1 phenotype is sensitive to cot1 and 35S: GL1 gene dosage, and the most severe phenotypes are observed when cot1 and 35S:GL1 are homozygous. The COT1 locus is located on chromosome 2 15.3 cM north of er. Analysis of the interaction between cot1, lry, and 35S:GL1 suggests that COT1 is part of a complex signal transduction pathway that regulates GL1-dependent adoption of the trichome cell fate.