C2H2 Zinc Finger Proteins GIS2 and ZFP8 Regulate Trichome Development via Hormone Signaling in Arabidopsis.

Trichomes are specialized epidermal structures that protect plants from environmental stresses, regulated by transcription factors integrating hormonal and environmental cues. This study investigates the roles of two C2H2 zinc finger proteins, and , in regulating trichome patterning in . Using dexamethasone-inducible overexpression lines, transcriptomic profiling, and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we identified 142 - and 138 -associated candidate genes involved in sterol metabolism, senescence, and stress responses. positively and directly regulated the expression of , linked to sterol biosynthesis and drought tolerance, and repressed , a senescence marker associated with abscisic acid and phosphate signaling. modulated stress-related target genes, including and , with partial functional overlap between family members. Spatially, functions in inflorescence trichomes via integrating gibberellin-cytokinin pathways, while influences leaf trichomes through cytokinin and abscisic acid signal. Gibberellin treatment stabilized GIS2 protein and induced expression, whereas repression was gibberellin-independent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and DEX-CHX experiment confirmed binding to and promoters at conserved C2H2 motifs. These findings highlight hormone-mediated transcriptional regulation of trichome development by and , offering mechanistic insight into signal integration. The results provide a foundation for future crop improvement strategies targeting trichome-associated stress resilience.