Ipomoea batatas Transcriptome or Gene expression. Ipomoea batatas

Leaf shape is a spectacularly diverse trait that influences various aspects of plant physiology and is even correlated with crop yield and quality in multiple species. However, only a few genetic dissections of leaf shape have been accomplished at a species-wide level. Here, we perform an initial characterization of leaf shape variation in Ipomoea batatas, the sweetpotato, at multiple scales of analysis. We use a transcriptomic survey to identify gene expression changes associated with two commonly studied leaf shape traits--circularity and aspect ratio using 19 individuals (accession) of sweetpotato. We comprehensively describe the remarkable morphological diversity in leaf shape in sweetpotato and identify 147 differentially regulated genes associated with circularity and aspect ratio, providing an initial set of hypotheses regarding the genetic basis of leaf shape in this species.