Poster: Genomic & proteomic resources

Abs # 877: Genome-wide Expression Profiling and Identification of Gene Activities during Early Flower Development in Arabidopsis

Presenter:	Zhang, Xiaohong , xuz1@psu.edu
Authors	Zhang, Xiaohong  (A)   Zhang, Diya  (B) (A)  Feng, Baomin  (A)   Altman, Naomi  (B)   Ma, hong  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Huck Institute for Life Sciences (B): Department of Statistics

Flower development is a complex process that requires the function of many genes. During last 20 years it has been fruitful in identifying genes involved in flower development and understanding the molecular mechanisms of flower development (Zic and Irish, 2003). However, a great number of genes involved in flower development are still unidentified. To obtain the global expression pattern of Arabidopsis genes and identify those genes which are preferentially expressed in the floral organs, we have used Affymetrix ATH1 arrays to profile Arabidopsis gene expression in the young inflorescences (up to stage 8), mature floral buds at stage 12, developing siliques, roots, stems, and leaves. The overall gene expression profiles in each organ/structure and in any number combination of organs/structures were analyzed including the number of genes expressed and expression level. The genes preferentially expressed in each organ/structure were also investigated by comparing the gene expression intensity in different organs/structures. Based on our comparative analysis, we have identified a number of new genes potentially involved in flower development, especially in early flower development (before stage 9).