Seminars

Cannabis sativa L. (marijuana, hemp) plants have been cultivated for centuries, primarily for their unique production of (phyto)cannabinoids. Cannabinoids form a large group of over 100 natural products with medicinal and psychoactive properties. Together with terpenoids and other metabolites, cannabinoids accumulate in the fragile secretory cavities of glandular trichomes on the plant surface. The objective of our research is to understand how trichomes synthesize and sequester the diversity of cannabinoids and terpenoids in Cannabis plants. The development of three types of glandular trichomes with specific distribution across the female plant body suggests that the composition and function served by these secretory structures may also differ. Live-cell imaging and biochemical analyses of each trichome type indicate that the extracellular organization and chemistries of each type of trichome are distinct. Through gene expression and proteomic analyses, we aim to identify the mechanisms underpinning glandular trichome diversity.