The Wheat Transcriptome and Discovery of Functional Gene Networks

Abstract

Gene expression patterns have been a widely applied source of information to start understanding gene function in multiple plant species. In wheat, the advent of increasingly accurate and complete gene annotations now enables transcriptomic studies to be carried out on a routine basis and studies by groups around the world have compared gene expression changes under an array of environmental and developmental stages. However, associating data from differentially expressed genes to understanding the biological role of these genes and their applications for breeding is a major challenge. Recently, the first steps to apply network-based approaches to characterise gene expression have been taken in wheat and these networks have enabled the prediction of gene functions in wheat but only for a handful of traits. Combining advanced analysis methods with better sequencing technology will increase our capacity to place gene expression in wheat in the context of functions of genes that influence agronomically important traits.