Combining transcriptome and metabolome analyses to reveal the response of maize roots to Pb stress.

As a major food crop, maize (Zea mays L.) is facing a serious threat of lead (Pb) pollution. Research into its Pb tolerance is crucial for ensuring food security and human health, however, the molecular mechanism underlying the response to Pb remains incompletely understood.

Transcriptomics Combined with Physiology and Metabolomics Reveals the Mechanism of Tolerance to Lead Toxicity in Maize Seedling.

Lead (Pb) exposure can induce molecular changes in plants, disrupt metabolites, and impact plant growth. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend the molecular mechanisms involved in Pb tolerance in plants to evaluate the long-term environmental consequences of Pb exposure. This research focused on maize as the test subject to study variations in biomass, root traits, genes, and metabolites under hydroponic conditions under Pb conditions.

QTL mapping and omics analysis to identify genes controlling kernel dehydration in maize.

This study mapped and screened three candidate genes related to kernel dehydration in maize. The slow development rate of maize kernels during later stages leads to high kernel moisture content at harvest, posing a challenge for mechanized maize harvesting in China. This study utilized a recombinant inbred line population derived from Zheng 58 (slow dehydration) and PH6WC (fast dehydration) as parents.

Physiological and omics analysis of maize inbred lines during late grain development.

Background: There were significant differences in the change of moisture content and grain composition at the late stage of grain development among different maize varieties, but the regulation mechanism is not clear.

Objective: To explore the key genes causing the variation in physiological traits of two typical maize inbred lines in late grain development.

Methods: The grains at different development stages were selected as materials to determine the content of water, sucrose, starch and ABA.

Identification and Characterization of microRNAs during Maize Grain Filling.

The grain filling rate is closely associated with final grain yield of maize during the period of maize grain filling. To identify the key microRNAs (miRNAs) and miRNA-dependent gene regulation networks of grain filling in maize, a deep-sequencing technique was used to research the dynamic expression patterns of miRNAs at four distinct developmental grain filling stages in Zhengdan 958, which is an elite hybrid and cultivated widely in China. The sequencing result showed that the expression amount of almost all miRNAs was changing with the development of the grain filling and formed in seven groups.

Proteomic identification of genes associated with maize grain-filling rate.

Grain filling during the linear phase contributes most of the dry matter accumulated in the maize kernel, which in turn determines the final grain yield. Endosperms and embryos of three elite maize hybrids (Zhengdan 958, Nongda 108, and Pioneer 335) were sampled 17, 22, 25, and 28 days after pollination, during the linear phase of grain filling, for proteomic analysis to explore the regulatory factors critical for grain filling rate. In total, 39 and 43 protein spots that showed more than 2-fold changes in abundance at P<0.

Proteomic analysis of heterosis during maize seed germination.

Heterosis is observed for most phenotypic traits and developmental stages in many plants. In this study, the embryos, from germinating seeds after 24 h of soaking, for five elite maize hybrids and their parents were selected to unravel the genetic basis of heterosis using 2-D proteomic method. In total, 257 (80.