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Published on: December 22, 2013
Building a biofactory: Constructing glandular trichomes in Cannabis sativa
Jessica Hancock1, Samuel J Livingston1, Lacey Samuels1
1Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Abstract:
Flowers of Cannabis sativa L. are densely covered with glandular trichomes containing cannabis resin that is used for medicinal and recreational purposes. The highly productive glandular trichomes have been described as 'biofactories.' In this review, we use this analogy to highlight recent advances in cannabis cell biology, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. The biofactory is built by epidermal outgrowths that differentiate into peltate-like glandular trichome heads, consisting of a disc of interconnected secretory cells with unique cellular structures. Cannabinoid and terpenoid products are warehoused in the extracellular storage cavity. Finally, multicellular stalks raise the glandular heads above the epidermis, giving cannabis flower their frosty appearance.
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