Zinc Finger Protein 1 (ZFP1) Is Involved in Trichome Initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis trichome is specialized structure that develops from epidermal cells, and is an excellent model system for studying various aspects of plant cell development and cell differentiation. Our previous studies have shown that C2H2 zinc finger protein family genes, including GIS, GIS2, GIS3, ZFP5, ZFP6 and ZFP8, play an important role in controlling trichome initiation in Arabidopsis. Here, our novel results showed a C2H2 zinc finger protein, ZFP1, which also plays an important role in trichome initiation in Arabidopsis. ZFP1 over-expression lines display significantly increased trichome number on cauline leaves, lateral branches and main stems in comparison with wild type plants. ZFP1 RNAi lines and loss-of-function mutants showed the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, our study also found that ZFP1 mediates the regulation of trichome initiation by cytokinin signaling. The molecular and genetic analyses reveal that ZFP1 acts upstream of key trichome initiation factors, GL3 and TRY.

Comprehensive Genomic Analysis and Expression Profiling of the C2H2 Zinc Finger Protein Family under Abiotic Stresses in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Cucumber is one of the most important vegetables in the world. The C2H2 zinc finger protein (C2H2-ZFP) family plays an important role in the growth development and abiotic stress responses of plants. However, there have been no systematic studies on cucumber. In this study, we performed a genome-wide study of C2H2-ZFP genes and analyzed their chromosomal location, gene structure, conservation motif, and transcriptional expression. In total, 101 putative cucumber C2H2-ZFP genes were identified and divided into six groups (I–VI). RNA-seq transcriptome data on different organs revealed temporal and spatial expression specificity of the C2H2-ZFP genes. Expression analysis of sixteen selected C2H2-ZFP genes in response to cold, drought, salt, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that C2H2-ZFP genes may be involved in different signaling pathways. These results provide valuable information for studying the function of cucumber C2H2-ZFP genes in the future.