Zea mays Transcriptome or Gene expression. Zea mays

Despite the economic importance of grasses as food, feed and energy crops, little is known about the genes that control their cell wall synthesis, assembly and remodelling. Here we provide a detailed transcriptome analysis that allowed the identification of genes involved in grass cell wall biogenesis. Differential gene-expression profiling, using maize oligonucleotide arrays, was used to identify genes differentially expressed between an elongating internode, containing cells exhibiting primary cell wall synthesis, and an internode that had just ceased elongation and in which many cells were depositing secondary cell wall material. This is one of only few studies specifically aimed at the identification of cell wall-related genes in grasses. Analysis identified new candidate genes for a role in primary and secondary cell wall-related processes in grasses. The results suggest that many proteins involved in cell wall-related processes during normal development are also recruited during defence-related cell wall remodelling events. The data presented provide a platform for future studies in which candidate genes can be tested for involvement in cell wall processes through forward and reverse genetic-based approaches, contributing towards a better understanding of cell wall biogenesis and its regulation in grasses. Overall design: The experiment consisted of six biological replicates (internode 9 and internode 13 were harvested from six maize plants). Dye-swaps were performed (in 3 slides, internode 9 RNA was labelled with Cy3 and internode 13 RNA was labelled with Cy5; in 3 other slides, internode 13 RNA was labelled with Cy3 and internode 9 RNA was labelled with Cy5).