title: Comparative analysis of gene expression by microarray analysis of male and female flowers of Asparagus officinalis.
abstract: To identify rapidly a number of genes probably involved in sex determination and differentiation of the dioecious plant Asparagus officinalis, gene expression profiles in early flower development for male and female plants were investigated by microarray assay with 8,665 probes. In total, 638 male-biased and 543 female-biased genes were identified. These genes with biased-expression for male and female were involved in a variety of processes associated with molecular functions, cellular components, and biological processes, suggesting that a complex mechanism underlies the sex development of asparagus. Among the differentially expressed genes involved in the reproductive process, a number of genes associated with floral development were identified. Reverse transcription-PCR was performed for validation, and the results were largely consistent with those obtained by microarray analysis. The findings of this study might contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation in dioecious asparagus and provide a foundation for further studies of this plant.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xijxiang, China.
authors.forename: Wu-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shu-Fen
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guo-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ning-Na
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chuan-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Long-Dou
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D027761:Asparagus Plant / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary