Spatiotemporal Transcriptomic Atlas Reveals the Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying Early Inflorescence Development and Sex Differentiation in Spinach.

ABSTRACT: Dioecious plant species produce male and female flowers on separate individuals. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly understood. In this study, the model dioecious spinach (Spinacia oleracea), a widely cultivated leafy vegetable, is investigated by analyzing spatial transcriptomes of the shoot apices at different developmental stages. The findings elucidate key regulatory pathways underlying both inflorescence development and sex differentiation. Through the characterization of dynamic transcriptional changes across four consecutive developmental phases, distinct cell types within the shoot apex and stage-specific marker genes are identified. Notably, pseudotime trajectory analysis reveals that spinach sex differentiation occurs at the four

SUBMITTER: You C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462940 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature