| Abstract Detail
Comparative Genomics/Transcriptomics Marchant, Daniel Blaine [1], Walbot, Virginia [2]. Disentangling the maze of maize anther development with single-cell RNA-seq. The de novo differentiation and development of somatic cells into reproductive germ cells is of the upmost importance for plant reproduction as plants do not have established germlines unlike sexual animals. Understanding the genetic cues and evolution of the cell layers that regulate sporogenesis in anthers is therefore fundamental to plant biology, but also to agriculture because controlled pollen production underlies hybrid seed production of most crops. Maize is an ideal system for investigating angiosperm sporogenesis as individual plants have separate male tassels and female ear inflorescences, hundreds of large anthers per tassel, and a large collection of male-sterile and female-fertile mutants. In addition, the ontogeny of these large anthers can be charted based on anther length so that each tassel has hundreds of easily collected, developmentally identical replicates. Here we present the first developmental analysis of the maize anther at the single-cell scale using our novel fixed scRNA-seq protocol. We identify the different cell types of the anther, uncover their developmental trajectories leading to sporogenesis, and reveal crucial marker genes for future studies of the maize anther. Notably, we discuss the future of developmental single-cell RNA-seq for studying land plant evolution.
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1 - Stanford University, Biology, Gilbert Hall, RM 206, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
2 - Biology, 385 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
Keywords:
maize
development
single-cell RNA-seq
anther
transcriptomics.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: CGT2, Comparative Genomics/Transcriptomics II
Location: /
Date: Tuesday, July 20th, 2021
Time: 12:30 PM(EDT)
Number: CGT2001
Abstract ID:482
Candidate for Awards:Margaret Menzel Award |
