Comparative Transcriptional Profiling Established the Awn as the Major Photosynthetic Organ of the Barley Spike While the Lemma and the Palea Primarily Protect the Seed

Authors

Tilahun Abebe, University of Northern Iowa
Roger P. Wise, USDA-ARS Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research
Ronald W. Skadsen, USDA-ARS

Comments

First published in The Plant Genome, v2 n3 published by Crop Science Society of America. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3835/plantgenome.2009.07.0019

Document Type

Article

Publication Version

Published Version

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The Plant Genome

Volume

2

Issue

3

First Page

247

Last Page

259

Abstract

The lemma, palea, and awn of a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) spike are photosynthetic organs that supply the developing seed with carbohydrates. The lemma and palea also enclose the seed and protect it from pathogens and insects. Despite the important roles they play, little information exists on gene expression in these organs that identifies their function. In this study, we compared gene expression among the lemma, palea, awn, and developing seed of barley during grain filling using the Barley1 Genome Array to identify highly expressed genes involved in the primary function of these organs. Hierarchical clustering and mixed model analysis revealed that the lemma and palea have closely related gene expression patterns. In addition, the lemma and palea overexpressed defense-related genes compared with the awn. The awn preferentially expressed genes for photosynthesis, the biosynthesis of chlorophyll and carotenoids, and reactive oxygen species scavenging. This suggests the lemma and palea are mainly protective organs whereas the awn is primarily a photosynthetic structure. The seed was enriched with genes for the biosynthesis of starch, storage proteins, enzyme inhibitors, and cell proliferation.

Department

Department of Biology

Original Publication Date

11-1-2009

Object Description

1 PDF File

DOI of published version

10.3835/plantgenome.2009.07.0019

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright

©2009 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Abebe, Tilahun; Wise, Roger P.; and Skadsen, Ronald W., "Comparative Transcriptional Profiling Established the Awn as the Major Photosynthetic Organ of the Barley Spike While the Lemma and the Palea Primarily Protect the Seed" (2009). Faculty Publications. 6499.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/6499