Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40400206›Full record

ArticleThe New phytologist2025

Role of LEAFLESS, an AP2/ERF family transcription factor, in the regulation of trichome specialized metabolism.

Sabyasachi Mandal, Yohannes H Rezenom, Thomas D McKnight

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The New phytologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sabyasachi MandalDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6093-3468
Yohannes H RezenomDepartment of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9990-4784
Thomas D McKnightDepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9863-2035

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acylsugars, specialized metabolites produced by trichomes of many solanaceous species, provide protection against biotic and abiotic stresses. Many acylsugar metabolic enzymes have been identified; however, regulatory factors remain unknown. Our multidisciplinary approaches identified LEAFLESS (APETALA 2/ ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) family member) as a positive regulator of acylsugar biosynthesis. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of LEAFLESS in Solanum pennellii (SpLFS/Sopen05g008450) revealed its distinct roles in two related but separate processes: acylsugar biosynthesis and trichome development. Most acylsugar (and several flavonoid) metabolic genes were downregulated in SpLFS-silenced plants and showed strong co-expression with SpLFS. Phylogenetic and additional data analyses indicated trichome-enriched expression of SpLFS orthologs in other acylsugar-producing solanaceous species, and VIGS of SpLFS orthologs in Nicotiana benthamiana reduced acylsugar production. Transcriptional reporter showed expression of SpLFS in type I/IV trichome tip cells, the site of acylsugar biosynthesis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that SpLFS directly binds to promoters of several acylsugar (and flavonoid) metabolic genes. Additionally, data mining suggested remarkable spatiotemporal functional diversity: from coordinating leaf initiation at incipient primordia (previously reported for the S. lycopersicum ortholog SlLFS/Solyc05g013540) to regulating trichome specialized metabolism (acylsugar and flavonoid). Our work highlights a critical role of LEAFLESS in trichome specialized metabolism, paving the way to disentangle the acylsugar regulatory network.

Indexed as

Plant ProteinsSolanumTranscription FactorsTrichomesGene Expression Regulation, PlantGene SilencingNicotianaPhylogenyPlant ProteinsTranscription FactorsacylsugarAP2/ERFflavonoidLEAFLESSSolanaceaetrichomevirus‐induced gene silencingWGCNA

Identifiers

PMID40400206
PMCPMC12177301

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.