Zea mays Transcriptome or Gene expression. Zea mays

MuDR/Mu are a highly active transposon family moving by either cut only (or cut-and-paste) in strictly somatic tissues or net replicative transposition (absence of excision alleles) in reproductive tissues. Aside from the MuDR-encoded MURA and MURB proteins, other factors required for Mu transposition, particularly those contributing to the developmentally specific behavior, have yet to be identified. To address this question and assess the impact of a highly active transposon on the transcriptome, RNA was extracted from anthers at three developmental stages in Mu-active and -inactive stocks and compared on a 44,000 element oligonucleotide array. We found that approximately 30,000 unique genes are expressed at each stage. Of the ~10% (ca. 3000) differentially regulated transcripts per stage, there was approximately equal representation by the active or inactive individuals. Keywords: anther development, maize, Mu, transposon Overall design: Dye swap design with 4 replicates comparing Mu-active to -inactive lines at 3 anther stages. Spike-in controls were included.