title: Combined Large-Scale Phenotyping and Transcriptomics in Maize Reveals a Robust Growth Regulatory Network.
abstract: Leaves are vital organs for biomass and seed production because of their role in the generation of metabolic energy and organic compounds. A better understanding of the molecular networks underlying leaf development is crucial to sustain global requirements for food and renewable energy. Here, we combined transcriptome profiling of proliferative leaf tissue with in-depth phenotyping of the fourth leaf at later stages of development in 197 recombinant inbred lines of two different maize (Zea mays) populations. Previously, correlation analysis in a classical biparental mapping population identified 1,740 genes correlated with at least one of 14 traits. Here, we extended these results with data from a multiparent advanced generation intercross population. As expected, the phenotypic variability was found to be larger in the latter population than in the biparental population, although general conclusions on the correlations among the traits are comparable. Data integration from the two diverse populations allowed us to identify a set of 226 genes that are robustly associated with diverse leaf traits. This set of genes is enriched for transcriptional regulators and genes involved in protein synthesis and cell wall metabolism. In order to investigate the molecular network context of the candidate gene set, we integrated our data with publicly available functional genomics data and identified a growth regulatory network of 185 genes. Our results illustrate the power of combining in-depth phenotyping with transcriptomics in mapping populations to dissect the genetic control of complex traits and present a set of candidate genes for use in biomass improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Joke
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0507-6904
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baute
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6565-5145
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coppens
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Jolien
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0047-4380
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Block
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Slabbinck
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4961-6231
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dell'Acqua
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Mario Enrico
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pè
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Steven
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5341-136X
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maere
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.).
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7494-1290
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nelissen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.);Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium (J.B., D.H., F.C., J.D.B., B.S., S.M., H.N., D.I.); andInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (M.D., M.E.P.) dirk.inze@psb.vib-ugent.be.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3217-8407
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inzé
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010641:Phenotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D003313:Zea mays / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins