Project Number: 3602-21000-006-02
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 02, 2011
End Date: Dec 31, 2013

Objective:
To improve soybean composition, further understanding of the function of cotyledon specific genes is needed. Early soybean seedling establishment is dependent on genes and processes that mobilize the nutrients stored in the cotyledons. This project aims to define the set of genes that are expressed in cotyledon post-germination development, and determine the timing of their expression. 1. Characterize patterns of gene expression in soybean cotyledons during various stages of cotyledon development and senesence. 2. Compare expression patterns of genes in late vegetative stage leaves and cotyledons to identify cotyledon-specific patterns of gene expression during senescence.

Approach:
We have used whole transcriptome RNA sequencing to identify genes that change in expression in coyledons during cotyledon development and are specifically expressed in soybean cotyledons. This year we will commence bioinformatic approaches to assign putative functions to these genes, and to compare the patterns of expression in leaves and cotyledons.