Nutri-cereal tissue-specific transcriptome atlas during development: Functional integration of gene expression to identify mineral uptake pathways in little millet (Panicum sumatrense)

We present a developmental transcriptome atlas of little millet. It has superior nutritional properties including high micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Ca, Mn), dietary fiber content, and low glycemic index with potential health prospective. This crop is cultivated by tribal people in the marginal areas, and it is adapted to a wide range of growing environments. Seeds of Little millet, Panicum sumatrense, genotype JK-8, were obtained from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India. Ten different plant tissues were sampled at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Canada; Germinating seeds (2 days after sowing (DAS)), plumule and radicle (3 DAS), young leaf and young root (13 DAS), crown meristem (26 DAS), vegetative stem (48 DAS), panicle early (61 DAS), panicle mid (73 DAS), panicle late (85 DAS). Total RNA was extracted from 100 mg of harvested tissues using RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen) or Triazol (Sigma-Aldrich) and purified using the RNeasy MinElute cleanup kit (Qiagen) according to manufacturer's protocol. Purified RNA was quantified using a NanoDrop ND‐100 spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific), and its integrity evaluated using Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies). cDNA libraries were prepared using a TruSeq1 RNA sample preparation Kit (Illumina). De novo transcriptome assembly was performed with Trinity. TPM (transcripts per million) were estimated using Kallisto.