Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2025
07:18
Obtaining High-Quality Transcriptome Data from Cereal Seeds by a Modified Method for Gene Expression Profiling
Published on: May 21, 2020
7.5K
A pan-grass transcriptome reveals patterns of cellular divergence in crops
Bruno Guillotin1,2, Ramin Rahni1, Michael Passalacqua3
1Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Nature
|May 10, 2023
Summary
Comparing root cell transcriptomes in three grass species reveals how specialized cell types evolve. This comparative analysis identifies conserved gene modules and highlights genome duplication
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Genomics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Grasses were domesticated independently, leading to diverse crop traits.
- Specialized cell types mediate key distinguishing traits in plant species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare root cell transcriptomes across three grass species: Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, and Setaria viridis.
- To identify conserved and divergent cell types and marker genes using transcriptomic data.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) were employed.
- Transcriptomic data from root cells were analyzed comparatively across species.
- Orthologous marker genes for cell types were identified.
Main Results:
- scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq provide complementary cell identity readouts in monocots.
- Comparative analysis revealed differential divergence rates among cell types, influenced by gene module recruitment.
- Whole-genome duplication contributed to new gene expression domains in fast-evolving cell types.
Conclusions:
- Fine-scale cellular profiling can identify conserved functional modules across species.
- Understanding cell-type evolution provides insights into key crop functions.
- Comparative transcriptomics aids in deciphering the evolution of specialized plant cells.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Light Acquisition
8.5K
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
8.5K
02:50Transgenic Plants
7.3K
Recombinant DNA technology called transgenesis is often used to add a foreign gene or remove a detrimental gene from an organism. Such genetically modified organisms are called transgenic organisms.
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...
7.3K
01:59Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
19.5K
Crop cultivation has a long history in human civilization, with records showing the cultivation of cereal plants beginning at around 8000 BC. This early plant breeding was developed primarily to provide a steady supply of food.
19.5K
02:05Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
7.2K
The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
In contrast, regions which code...
7.2K
02:54Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
5.9K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
5.9K
03:21Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
2.5K
2.5K