Regulator Network Analysis of Rice and Maize Yield-Related Genes

Rice and maize are the principal food crop species worldwide. The mechanism of gene regulation for the yield of rice and maize is still the research focus at present. Seed size, weight and shape are important traits of crop yield in rice and maize. Most members of three gene families, APETALA2/ethylene response factor, auxin response factors and MADS, were identified to be involved in yield traits in rice and maize. Analysis of molecular regulation mechanisms related to yield traits provides theoretical support for the improvement of crop yield. Genetic regulatory network analysis can provide new insights into gene families with the improvement of sequencing technology. Here, we analyzed the evolutionary relationships and the genetic regulatory network for the gene family members to predicted genes that may be involved in yield-related traits in rice and maize. The results may provide some theoretical and application guidelines for future investigations of molecular biology, which may be helpful for developing new rice and maize varieties with high yield traits.