Abstract
The global gene expression changes in response to low nitrogen stress in leaf tissues of two maize inbred lines(Mo17 and Hz4) with contrasting low nitrogen tolerance was analyzed using the Affymetrix maize genome array. Our results showed 887 genes involved in a variety of biological processes were responsive to low nitrogen treatment in Mo17, out of which 384 were up-regulated and 503 were down-regulated. In Hz4 the expression of 1108 genes was changed, of which 696 were up-regulated and 412 genes were down-regulated. The gene expression profiles also revealed 1799 genes differentially expressed (910 and 889 genes with higher level of expression in Hz4 and Mo17, respectively) between the two lines under low nitrogen conditions. These results explain at the transcript level why Mo17 is more sensitive than Hz4 under low nitrogen stress. In addition to previously reported nitrogen response genes (nitrate transporter, nitrite reductase, nitrate reductase, ferredoxin) we found many new nitrogen response genes (early light-inducible protein, uroporphyrinogen methyltransferas e, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, tonoplast intrinsic protein, sesquiterpene cyclase). Our results not only provide new insights on the molecular mechanisms of nitrogen stress, but also serve as a valuable resource to researchers who aim to improve the efficiency of maize nitrogen use.
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Chen, R., Tian, M., Wu, X. et al. Differential global gene expression changes in response to low nitrogen stress in two maize inbred lines with contrasting low nitrogen tolerance. Genes Genom 33, 491–497 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-010-0163-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-010-0163-x