Project description:Investigation of genome-wide gene expression in sepals, petals, stamens, staminodia and carpels in pre-anthesis Aquilegia flowers. One goal was to identify transcriptional signatures associated with petaloidy by comparing gene expression in petals and petaloid sepals. Other goals were to study the evolutionary origin and ecological function of staminodia by comparing a) expression patterns in stamens, staminodia and carpels, b) identifying transcriptional regulators expressed in staminodia and c) using gene set enrichment analysis to identify biological processes operating in staminodia.
Project description:The current experiment was designed to obtain a broad characterization of the genetic pathways acting in early Aquilegia coerulea floral meristem development. We conducted an in-depth transcriptome profiling of early floral development in A. coerulea at four finely dissected developmental stages, with eight biological replicates per stage. . The developmental window we sequenced sampled stages that started with a late phase of stamen initiation, covered the period of FM termination, and ended with the initial stage of morphogenesis of the floral organs.
Project description:Investigation of genome-wide gene expression in sepals, petals, stamens, staminodia and carpels in pre-anthesis Aquilegia flowers. One goal was to identify transcriptional signatures associated with petaloidy by comparing gene expression in petals and petaloid sepals. Other goals were to study the evolutionary origin and ecological function of staminodia by comparing a) expression patterns in stamens, staminodia and carpels, b) identifying transcriptional regulators expressed in staminodia and c) using gene set enrichment analysis to identify biological processes operating in staminodia. A 15 chip study using total RNA from the five floral tissues from three replicate natural populations with each sample representing tissue pooled from 60 flowers.
