The Vegetative Transcriptome of Arabidopsis Thaliana

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The morphology, physiology, and biochemical composition of leaves produced at different times in the development of a plant changes in a predictable fashion. Particularly dramatic changes in leaf morphology and physiology occur when a plant is induced to flower. The molecular basis for this phenomenon will be studied by performing a genome-wide analysis of gene expression in leaves at different positions on the shoot of flowering and non-flowering plants of Arabidopsis thaliana. Genes whose expression changes in accordance with the transition between juvenile and adult stages of shoot development are of particular interest, and will be identified by comparing gene expression patterns in normal plants with plants that have been "juvenilized" by the constitutive expression of miR156. mRNA abundance will be determined using the Affymetrix ATH1 microarray, whereas small RNA abundance will be determined by high-throughput sequencing-by-synthesis technology. These data will be accessible via a project-specific page at http://mpss.udel.edu/at/ and will be deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) at NCBI for long-term storage and dissemination.Broader Impacts: Leaves are the primary photosynthetic organ of a plant and are therefore the most important source of renewable energy on earth. The information obtained in this study will extend our understanding of plant gene regulatory networks and make it possible to rationally engineer leaf morphology and physiology to maximize plant performance. Importantly the project will also provide for the training of the next generation of plant scientists in cutting edge functional genomic technologies.