Trichome Development in Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis trichomes are giant single epidermal cells that are easily accessible for genetic, genomic and cell-biological analysis. They have therefore become a convenient model system to study developmental and physiological processes. Trichome studies are greatly facilitated by methods specifically applicable for this particular cell type. In addition, it is very important to use conventions and definitions that have been developed to make studies comparable and capture the relevant aspects. This chapter will highlight these two aspects of trichome analysis.