Effect of X-ray computed tomography on maize root gene expression

A critical aspect of X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) studies is: Does the used dosage of radiation influence living organisms? To target this question, the impact of XRCT on maize gene expression profiles was investigated. We implemented a controlled soil column experiment with 21 day old maize seedlings and great care was taken to disturb the plant-soil system as little as possible during the application of XRCT. In order to obtain a comprehensive view on the biotic responses to the X-ray dosage, our analysis focuses on early (1 hour after XRCT) and late (24 hours) responses of maize at the level of root transcriptomes. This research was conducted within the research program "Rhizosphere Spatiotemporal Organisation - a Key to Rhizosphere Functions" of the German Science Foundation.