Next Generation Sequencing Facilitates Quantitative Analysis of Transcriptomes for Wild Type and Mutants including opaque2, PbfRNAi and PbfRNAi;o2 in Maize (Zea mays)

The goals of this study are to study the regulatory network of the two maize endosperm-specific transcription factors O2 and PBF by 16-DAP endosperm transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) of their mutants and wild type. The results utilize the expression pattern of global genes regulated by PBF and O2 to elucidate their control for storage compounds synthesis in maize kernels. Overall design: The 16-DAP endosperm transcriptome of wild type (WT) and mutants including opaque2, PbfRNAi and PbfRNAi;o2 were generated by RNA-seq with three biological replicates per genotype on Illumina HiSeqTM2500.