Organ-enriched gene expression during floral morphogenesis in wild barley

Area of Science:

• Plant biology
• Genomics
• Developmental biology

Background:

• Floral morphology differs between dicots and monocots.
• The ABCDE model explains floral organ development in eudicots and grasses.
• Barley (Hordeum vulgare) exhibits unique floral morphogenesis, with wild barley (H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum) serving as a key genetic resource.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize genes controlling floral organ development in wild barley.
• To generate an organ-specific transcriptome atlas for wild barley floral organs.
• To propose a molecular mechanism for barley floral morphology.

Main Methods:

• Generated an organ-specific transcriptome atlas for wild barley floral organs.
• Performed genome-wide transcription profiling and gene expression analysis.
• Constructed a co-expression regulatory network and conducted Gene Ontology analysis.

Main Results:

• 22,838 protein-coding genes expressed in floral organs; 5,619 showed organ-enriched expression.
• Identified 677 transcription factors and their functions in floral development.
• Found 690 genes targeted by MADS-box proteins correlated with ABCDE model genes.
• Discovered 138 genes specific to the OUH602 genome, highly expressed in floral structures.

Conclusions:

• Revealed global gene expression patterns underlying wild barley floral morphogenesis.
• Proposed a molecular mechanism controlling floral morphology in barley based on transcriptome data.
• Highlighted the importance of wild barley genetic diversity for understanding floral development.