Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39754060›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2025

Cross-species single-nucleus analysis reveals the potential role of whole-genome duplication in the evolution of maize flower development.

Huawei Feng, Wenjuan Fan, Min Liu, Jiaqian Huang, Bosheng Li, Qing Sang, Baoxing Song

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC genomics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Huawei FengPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China.
Wenjuan FanPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China.
Min LiuBaimaike Intelligent Manufacturing, Qingdao, Shandong, 266500, China.
Jiaqian HuangPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China.
Bosheng LiPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China.
Qing SangPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China. qing.sang@pku-iaas.edu.cn.
Baoxing SongPeking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agriculture Sciences in Weifang, Weifang, Shandong, 261325, China. baoxing.song@pku-iaas.edu.cn.

Funding

Key R&D Program of Shandong Province ZR202211070163Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province Youth Fund Project ZR2022QC112Shandong Provincial Natural Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas) 2023HWYQ-109
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe evolution and development of flowers are biologically essential and of broad interest. Maize and sorghum have similar morphologies and phylogeny while harboring different inflorescence architecture. The difference in flower architecture between these two species is likely due to spatiotemporal gene expression regulation, and they are a good model for researching the evolution of flower development.

resultsIn this study, we generated single nucleus and spatial RNA-seq data for maize ear, tassel, and sorghum inflorescence. By combining single nucleus and spatial transcriptome, we can track the spatial expression of single nucleus cluster marker genes and map single nucleus clusters to spatial positions. This ability provides great power to annotate the single nucleus clusters. Combining the cell cluster resolved transcriptome comparison with genome alignment, our analysis suggested that maize ear and tassel inflorescence diversity is associated with the maize-specific whole genome duplication. Taking sorghum as the outgroup, it is likely that the loss of gene expression profiling contributes to the inflorescence diversity between tassel and ear, resulting in the unisexual flower architecture of maize. The sequence of highly expressed genes in the tassel is more conserved than the highly expressed genes in the ear.

conclusionThis study provides a high-resolution atlas of gene activity during inflorescence development and helps to unravel the potential evolution associated with the differentiation of the ear and tassel in maize.

Indexed as

FlowersGene DuplicationGenome, PlantZea maysCell NucleusEvolution, MolecularGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, PlantInflorescencePhylogenySingle-Cell AnalysisSorghumTranscriptomeEvolutionInflorescenceMaizeSingle-nucleus RNA-seqSorghumWhole-Genome Duplication

Identifiers

PMID39754060
PMCPMC11699695

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.