Transcriptome analysis in nutrient deficient wheat roots

Microarrays were used to identify transcriptional responses in field-grown root material of wheat in order to dissect specific gene expression responses to limited macronutrient availability, particularly phosphate. This study fills the gap between the transcriptome studies on model plants and the lack of studies on soil-grown wheat aiming to identify candidate genes for enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency. The work at Rothamsted Research is supported via the 20:20 Wheat® Programme by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The contribution was supported by BIONUT-ITN and the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 264296. T. aestivum cv. Hereward root material was excavated in triplicates in May 2011 at booting stage from sections 0 and 1 plots representing continuous wheat plots of the “Broadbalk” field experiment at Rothamsted Research, UK (http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/sample-archive/guide-classical-and-other-long-term-experiments-datasets-and-sample-archive). The distinct peculiarity of these plots, including a control plot with nutrient replete wheat plants, is the withdrawal of N, P, K, Mg and S fertilizers exposing the plants to multiple long-term nutrient deficiencies and representing 6 treatments ; 12 samples were analysed.