title: Transcriptome Analysis for Abnormal Spike Development of the Wheat Mutant dms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) spike development is the foundation for grain yield. We obtained a novel wheat mutant, dms, characterized as dwarf, multi-pistil and sterility. Although the genetic changes are not clear, the heredity of traits suggests that a recessive gene locus controls the two traits of multi-pistil and sterility in self-pollinating populations of the medium plants (M), such that the dwarf genotype (D) and tall genotype (T) in the progeny of the mutant are ideal lines for studies regarding wheat spike development. The objective of this study was to explore the molecular basis for spike abnormalities of dwarf genotype.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four unigene libraries were assembled by sequencing the mRNAs of the super-bulked differentiating spikes and stem tips of the D and T plants. Using integrative analysis, we identified 419 genes highly expressed in spikes, including nine typical homeotic genes of the MADS-box family and the genes TaAP2, TaFL and TaDL. We also identified 143 genes that were significantly different between young spikes of T and D, and 26 genes that were putatively involved in spike differentiation. The result showed that the expression levels of TaAP1-2, TaAP2, and other genes involved in the majority of biological processes such as transcription, translation, cell division, photosynthesis, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and energy production and conversion were significantly lower in D than in T.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified a set of genes related to wheat floral organ differentiation, including typical homeotic genes. Our results showed that the major causal factors resulting in the spike abnormalities of dms were the lower expression homeotic genes, hormonal imbalance, repressed biological processes, and deficiency of construction materials and energy. We performed a series of studies on the homeotic genes, however the other three causal factors for spike abnormal phenotype of dms need further study.
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Xin-Xin
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Qiao-Yun
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Cai
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Zong-Biao
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Yan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Shan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.|Shangqiu Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shangqiu, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Jing
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Engineering and Technological Research for Wheat, Henan Agricultural University / Key Laboratory of Physiological Ecology and Genetic Improvement of Food Crops in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017343:Genes, Plant; D009154:Mutation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger