Project description:Maize (Zea mays) is an excellent cereal model for research on seed development because of its relatively large size for both embryo and endosperm. Despite the importance of seed in agriculture, the genome-wide transcriptome pattern throughout seed development has not been well characterized. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing, we developed a spatiotemporal transcriptome atlas of B73 maize seed development based on 53 samples from fertilization to maturity for embryo, endosperm, and whole seed tissues.
Project description:A major step in the higher plant life cycle is the decision to leave the mitotic cell cycle and begin the progression through the meiotic cell cycle that leads to the formation of gametes. The molecular mechanisms that regulate this transition and early meiosis remain largely unknown. To gain insight into gene expression features during the initiation of meiotic recombination, we profiled early prophase I meiocytes from maize (Zea mays) using capillary collection to isolate meiocytes, followed by RNA-seq.
Project description:Endosperm is a product of double fertilization, and provides nutrients and signals to the embryo during seed development in flowering plants. Early stages of endosperm development are critical for the development of its storage capacity through synthesis and accumulation of starch and storage proteins. Here we report on the isolation and sequencing of mRNAs from the central portion of the starchy endosperm of Zea mays (maize) B73 at 6 days after pollination. We detected high correlation among the four biological replicates of RNAs isolated using laser-capture microdissection of the cell type. Because the assayed stage of development precedes the synthesis and accumulation of the major storage proteins and starch in the endosperm, our dataset likely include mRNAs for genes that are involved in control and establishment of these developmental programs.
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNAs (18–25 nt) that are involved in many physiological processes including development, cancer, immunity, apoptosis and host-microbe interactions through posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. In this study, we measured the profile of small RNAs in Zea mays after one day and three days of Spodoptera frugiperda feeding. We identified 500 miRNAs, including 449 known and 51 novel miRNAs. In addition, we identified the miRNAs differentially expressed in Z. mays after one day and three days of S. frugiperda feeding, and the possible target genes were identified. This study identified critical miRNAs involved in the Z. mays during S. frugiperda feeding, thus providing a useful resource for exploring the regulatory role of miRNAs during plant-insect interactions.
Project description:We report the application of whole transcriptome sequencing technology for high-throughput profiling of coding and non-coding RNAs associated with Spodoptera frugiperda feeding in Zea mays. 4,366 mRNAs and 233 lncRNAs were differentially expressed during Spodoptera frugiperda feeding in Zea mays. Our data contribute to the understanding of the function of coding and non-coding RNAs in the regulation of plant-insect interactions.
Project description:Endosperm is a product of double fertilization, and provides nutrients and signals to the embryo during seed development in flowering plants. Early stages of endosperm development are critical for the development of its storage capacity through synthesis and accumulation of starch and storage proteins. Here we report on the isolation and sequencing of mRNAs from the central portion of the starchy endosperm of Zea mays (maize) B73 at 6 days after pollination. We detected high correlation among the four biological replicates of RNAs isolated using laser-capture microdissection of the cell type. Because the assayed stage of development precedes the synthesis and accumulation of the major storage proteins and starch in the endosperm, our dataset likely include mRNAs for genes that are involved in control and establishment of these developmental programs. Four replicates of mRNAs from the central portion of starchy endopserm were isolated using laser-capture microdissection and sequenced using the Illumina GAIIx platform.
Project description:Meiotic drivers subvert Mendelian expectations by manipulating reproductive development to bias their own transmission. Chromosomal drive typically functions in asymmetric female meiosis, while gene drive is normally postmeiotic and typically found in males. Cryptic drive is thought to be pervasive and can be unleashed following hybridization with a naïve genome, resulting in sterility and hybrid incompatibility. Using single molecule and single pollen genome sequencing, we describe an instance of gene drive in hybrids between maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and teosinte mexicana (Zea mays ssp. mexicana), that depends on RNA interference (RNAi) in the male germline. Multiple hairpin-derived small RNA from mexicana target a novel domestication gene, Teosinte Drive Responder, that is required for pollen fertility and has undergone selection for immunity to RNAi. Introgression of mexicana into early cultivated maize is thought to have been critical to its geographical dispersal throughout the Americas. A survey of maize landraces and sympatric populations of teosinte mexicana reveals allelic bias at genes required for RNAi on at least 4 chromosomes that are also subject to gene drive in pollen from synthetic hybrids. Teosinte Pollen Drive likely played a major role in maize domestication, and offers an explanation for the widespread abundance of hairpin-encoded and other endogenous small RNA in the germlines of plants and animals.