A Genome-Wide Survey of Imprinted Genes in Rice Seeds Reveals Imprinting Primarily Occurs in the Endosperm
2011

Imprinted Genes in Rice Seeds

Sample size: 600 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Luo Ming, Taylor Jennifer M., Spriggs Andrew, Zhang Hongyu, Wu Xianjun, Russell Scott, Singh Mohan, Koltunow Anna

Primary Institution: CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia

Hypothesis

How do parental gene expression biases contribute to rice seed development?

Conclusion

The study identified 262 candidate imprinted loci in rice seeds, primarily in the endosperm, with only one confirmed in the embryo.

Supporting Evidence

  • 262 candidate imprinted loci were identified in the endosperm.
  • 56 of the 67 loci investigated were confirmed to be imprinted.
  • Imprinting primarily occurs in the endosperm, similar to Arabidopsis.

Takeaway

The researchers found that some genes in rice seeds are expressed differently depending on whether they come from the mother or father, mostly in the part that feeds the embryo.

Methodology

RNA was extracted from embryos and endosperm of seeds from reciprocal crosses, and sequenced to identify imprinted genes.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in gene expression analysis due to the specific developmental stages of seeds examined.

Limitations

The study primarily focused on seeds at specific developmental stages, which may not capture all imprinted genes.

Statistical Information

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pgen.1002125

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