title: Identification of gene expression profile during fertilization in Brassica campestris subsp. chinensis.
abstract: Fertilization is controlled by a complex gene regulatory network. To study the fertilization mechanism, we determined time courses of the four developmental stages of fertilization in Chinese cabbage pak-choi (Brassica campestris subsp. chinensis) by cytological observation. We then used the Arabidopsis ATH1 microarray to characterize the gene expression profiles of pollinated and unpollinated pistils in  B. campestris  subsp. chinensis. The result showed 44 up-regulated genes and 33 down-regulated genes in pollinated pistils compared with unpollinated pistils. Gene ontology analysis identified 20% of the up-regulated genes as belonging to the category of cell wall metabolism. We compared the up-regulated genes in pollinated pistils with previously identified pollen development related genes. Ten genes were found to be in common, which were termed as continuously expressed genes, in the two processes in the present article. Their expression patterns during pollen development and fertilization processes were then verified by RT-PCR. One of the continuously expressed genes, the homologous gene of At3g01270 in  B. campestris  subsp. chinensis, was confirmed as specifically expressed in microspores and pollinated pistils by using in situ hybridization. The potential biological functions of the other continuously expressed genes were also discussed.
authors: a Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute of Vegetable Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors: Jingjing
authors: J
authors: Jiang
authors: Jianxia
authors: J
authors: Jiang
authors: Lin
authors: L
authors: Qiu
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Miao
authors: Lina
authors: L
authors: Yao
authors: Jiashu
authors: J
authors: Cao
mesh_terms: D001937:Brassica / Q000235:genetics*; D005306:Fertilization / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D054817:Pollination / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015854:Up-Regulation