Progressive meristem and single-cell transcriptomes reveal the regulatory mechanisms underlying maize inflorescence development and sex differentiation

Sun, Yonghao, Dong, Liang, Kang, Lu, Zhong, Wanshun, Jackson, David, Yang, Fang (June 2024) Progressive meristem and single-cell transcriptomes reveal the regulatory mechanisms underlying maize inflorescence development and sex differentiation. Molecular Plant, 17 (7). pp. 1019-1037. ISSN 1674-2052 (Public Dataset)

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Abstract

Maize develops separate ear and tassel inflorescences with initially similar morphology but ultimately different architecture and sexuality. The detailed regulatory mechanisms underlying these changes still remain largely unclear. In this study, through analyzing the time-course meristem transcriptomes and floret single-cell transcriptomes of ear and tassel, we revealed the regulatory dynamics and pathways underlying inflorescence development and sex differentiation. We identified 16 diverse gene clusters with differential spatiotemporal expression patterns and revealed biased regulation of redox, programmed cell death, and hormone signals during meristem differentiation between ear and tassel. Notably, based on their dynamic expression patterns, we revealed the roles of two RNA-binding proteins in regulating inflorescence meristem activity and axillary meristem formation. Moreover, using the transcriptional profiles of 53 910 single cells, we uncovered the cellular heterogeneity between ear and tassel florets. We found that multiple signals associated with either enhanced cell death or reduced growth are responsible for tassel pistil suppression, while part of the gibberellic acid signal may act non-cell-autonomously to regulate ear stamen arrest during sex differentiation. We further showed that the pistil-protection gene SILKLESS 1 (SK1) functions antagonistically to the known pistil-suppression genes through regulating common molecular pathways, and constructed a regulatory network for pistil-fate determination. Collectively, our study provides a deep understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying inflorescence development and sex differentiation in maize, laying the foundation for identifying new regulators and pathways for maize hybrid breeding and improvement.

Item Type:	Paper
Subjects:	bioinformatics bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics organism description > plant > maize bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > inflorescence organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > meristem organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions organism description > plant bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > plant proteins bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > transcriptomes
CSHL Authors:	Jackson, David P.
Communities:	CSHL labs > Jackson lab
SWORD Depositor:	CSHL Elements
Depositing User:	CSHL Elements
Date:	13 June 2024
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2024 16:09
Last Modified:	08 Jul 2024 16:09
Related URLs:	Publisher
Dataset ID:	GEO: GSE247571 CRA016916
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/41598

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