A Transcriptomics and Comparative Genomics Analysis Reveals Gene Families with a Role in Body Plan Complexity.

ABSTRACT: We analyzed tissue-specific transcriptomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and identified 66 gene families with a high frequency of "gradient genes" - genes showing a significant expression gradient between tissues. Gradient gene families include many with roles in hormone and peptide signaling, cell wall synthesis and remodeling, secondary metabolism, transcriptional regulation, and transport between cells. We compared the size of the gradient gene families among the genomes of four plant species with radically different body plans - a single-celled algae, a moss, a eudicot, and a monocot - and found that most of the gradient gene families (58/66) expanded in parallel with the evolution of morphological complexity. A novel measure of tissue diversity was used to show that members of any on

SUBMITTER: Kramer EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5446989 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature