A dynamic co-expression map of early inflorescence development in Setaria viridis provides a resource for gene discovery and comparative genomics. A dynamic co-expression map of early inflorescence development in Setaria viridis provides a resource for gene discovery and comparative genomics

Setaria viridis is a small, rapidly growing grass species in the subfamily Panicoideae, a group that includes economically important cereal crops such as maize and sorghum. The S. viridis inflorescence displays complex branching patterns, but its early development is similar to that of other panicoid grasses, and thus is an ideal model for studying inflorescence architecture. Here we report detailed transcriptional resource that captures dynamic transitions across six sequential stages of S. viridis inflorescence development, from reproductive onset to floral organ differentiation. Co-expression analyses identified stage-specific signatures of development, which include homologs of previously known developmental genes from maize and rice, suites of transcription factors and gene family members, and genes of unknown function. This spatiotemporal co-expression map and associated analyses provide a foundation for gene discovery in S. viridis inflorescence development, and a comparative model for exploring related architectural features in agronomically important cereals. Overall design: We profiled the transcriptome of S.viridis inflorescence primordia across six sequential developmental stages that captured key events from the reproductive transition to floral organ differentiation. Three to four biological replicates were used for each stage.

绿色狗尾草（Setaria viridis）是黍亚科（Panicoideae）下一种体型小巧、生长迅速的禾本科物种，该亚科包含玉米、高粱等具有重要经济价值的谷类作物。绿色狗尾草的花序具有复杂的分枝模式，但其早期发育过程与其他黍亚科禾草相似，因此是研究花序结构的理想模型体系。本研究报道了一套精细的转录组资源，该资源完整捕捉了绿色狗尾草花序发育从生殖起始到花器官分化的六个连续阶段的动态转录变化。共表达分析鉴定出了发育阶段特异性的分子特征，其中涵盖玉米、水稻中已报道的发育基因同源物、多套转录因子及基因家族成员，以及一批功能未知的基因。这套时空共表达图谱及配套分析不仅为绿色狗尾草花序发育的基因发掘工作奠定了基础，同时也为探究具有重要农艺价值的谷类作物的相关花序结构特征提供了比较研究模型。实验整体设计：本研究对绿色狗尾草花序原基的转录组进行了测序分析，覆盖了从生殖转换到花器官分化的六个连续发育阶段，涵盖全部关键事件；每个阶段设置3至4个生物学重复。