Abstract Detail

Comparative Genomics/Transcriptomics

Landis, Jacob [1], Hernandez, Adriana [2], Tribble, Carrie [3], Eifler, Evan [4], Givnish, Thomas [5], Strickler, Susan [6], Specht, Chelsea [7].

Generating transcriptome data to reveal genetic mechanisms of floral traits in multiple species of Calochortus (Liliaceae).

Certain floral traits such as flower size, shape, and color have strong impacts on pollination success by either acting as cues for pollinator attraction or playing a role in effective pollen transfer. The genus Calochortus (Liliaceae) is a great study system for the evolution of floral forms due to the high diversity of suits of floral traits than can be observed across members of the genus. Here we discuss the generation of transcriptomes and the methodological steps taken to identify genes associated with shifts of floral traits across developmental time points and between species, as well as investigating the interplay between expression differences and structural changes in the coding regions of the candidate genes. A three-pronged comparative transcriptomics approach was employed including: 1) generating a reference transcriptome using Illumina short-reads and Nanopore-long reads to compare expression patterns across species at three developmental time points, 2) assemble species specific transcriptomes to compare across developmental time points within a species, and 3) identification of orthologous genes across all species to investigate signatures of selection on coding regions. Overall, the methods undertaken here allow us to investigate both changes in expression and gene sequence for candidate genes involved in flower size, shape, color, and other traits important for pollination success.

1 - Cornell University
2 - Cornell University, School of Integrative Plant Science, Section of Plant Biology and the L.H. Bailey Hortorium, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
3 - University Of Hawaii At Manoa, Department Of Biology, 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson Hall 216, Honolulu, HI, 96822, United States
4 - UW Madison, Botany, 430 Lincoln Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, United States
5 - University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Department Of Botany, 315 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
6 - Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research , 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
7 - Cornell University, Plant Biology, Plant Science, 236 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14851, United States

Keywords:
Calochortus
Nanopore
transcriptome
functional traits
comparative transcriptomics.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PGT006
Abstract ID:240
Candidate for Awards:None