Genetic basis of paired spikelet formation in wheat

Paired spikelet formation is a distinctive inflorescence architecture trait in wheat that affects spike development and yield-related characteristics. To investigate the genetic basis underlying paired spikelet formation, an RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) experiment was conducted using near-isogenic lines (NILs) derived from the wheat TILLING line Cad1591, contrasting a wild-type (WT) phenotype with a paired spikelet (PS) phenotype. Plants from BC3-F5 NILs representing the WT and PS genotypes were grown under controlled-environment conditions. Developing inflorescences were sampled at key stages of early spike development, including double ridge (DR), lemma primordium (LP), and terminal spikelet (TS) stages. For each genotype and developmental stage, three biological replicates were collected, with each replicate consisting of pooled young inflorescences. Total RNA was extracted, quality assessed, and used for mRNA library preparation following poly(A) selection. RNA-seq libraries were sequenced using Illumina paired-end sequencing (PE150). All samples passed RNA quality control thresholds, and high sequencing depth and quality were obtained across all libraries. Raw sequencing reads were subjected to quality control, adapter trimming, and filtering before downstream analyses. This dataset provides a comprehensive transcriptomic resource for studying gene expression changes associated with early inflorescence development and paired spikelet formation in wheat.