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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412029
Research Project: Championing Improvement of Sorghum and Other Agriculturally Important Species through Data Stewardship and Functional Dissection of Complex Traits

Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research

Title: Transcriptomic Profiles of Developing Meristems Across Sorghum Accessions Reveal Nuanced Regulatory Pathways Towards Panicle Morphology

Author
item Gladman, Nicholas
item FAHEY, AUDREY - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item REGULSKI, MICHAEL - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item Ware, Doreen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/29/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are composed of coding and non-coding DNA elements that control gene expression. They have become an essential aspect towards crop improvement by revealing modules that influence stress response, development, and plant evolution. Such GRNs are best created through multi-omics approaches in specific tissues to strengthen candidate genes and loci for functional characterization and ultimate incorporation into breeding programs. Combining transcriptomics, transcription factor (TF) binding profiles, and other genomic metrics, we construct dense sorghum GRNs to understand conserved and divergent modules that influence inflorescence development across multiple Sorghum Association Panel accessions, including breeding, non-breeding, and conversion lines. Developmentally crucial gene sets can still show notable differences in expression across inchoate tissue stages, suggesting a level of genetic redundancy or plasticity exists towards creating similar panicle morphologies. Additionally, TFs that are known regulators of inflorescence meristem progression in monocots, like Bearded Ear1 and Tassel Sheath 4, have different binding profiles in the promoter regions of these meristematic gene clusters and also indicate which TFs could have a more promiscuous regulatory purview compared to others. Finally, comparing the sorghum results with maize transcriptomic profiles also revealed which orthologous genes are conserved in their regulation through different TFs between maize and sorghum. This project was funded by the USDA-ARS award number 8062-21000-044-000D.