The roots of plants normally carry small hairs arranged in a
regular pattern. Transfer DNA-tagged lines of Arabidopsis
thaliana included a mutant with few, randomly distributed root
hairs. The mutated gene CAPRICE (CPC) encoded a
protein with a Myb-like DNA binding domain typical of transcription
factors involved in animal and plant development. Analysis in
combination with other root hair mutations showed that CPC
may work together with the TTG gene and upstream of
the GL2 gene. Transgenic plants overexpressing CPC had more root hairs and fewer trichomes than normal.
Thus, the CPC gene determines the fate of epidermal cell
differentiation in Arabidopsis.
T. Wada and K. Okada, Division I of Gene Expression and
Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, 444, Japan,
and Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University,
Kyoto, 606-01, Japan.
T. Tachibana, Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto
University, Kyoto, 606-01, Japan.
Y. Shimura, Division I of Gene Expression and Regulation, National
Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, 444, Japan, and Department of
Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto,
606-01, Japan.
*
Present address: Biomolecular Engineering Research Institute,
6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka, 565, Japan.
To whom correspondence should be addressed at the Department
of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-01, Japan. E-mail: kiyo{at}ok-lab.bot.kyoto-u.ac.jp
