Gene expression analysis of the effect of UV-B radiation in the growth zone of the maize leaf

UV-B radiation affects leaf growth in a wide range of species. In this work, we demonstrate that UV-B levels present in solar radiation inhibits maize leaf growth without causing any other visible stress symptoms, including accumulation of DNA damage. We conducted kinematic analyses of cell division and expansion to understand the impact of UV-B radiation on these cellular processes. Our results demonstrate that the decrease in leaf growth is a consequence of a reduction in cell production, and a shortened growth zone (GZ) in UV-B irradiated leaves. To determine the molecular pathways involved in UV-B inhibition of leaf growth, we performed RNA sequencing on isolated GZ tissues of control and UV-B exposed plants. Our results show a link between the observed leaf growth inhibition and the expression of specific cell cycle and developmental genes, including Growth Regulating Factors (GRFs) and transcripts for proteins participating in different hormone pathways. Overall design: Factorial design with two factors: Treatment (control vs UV-B) x Zone I (0-1cm from base of the leaf), 2 (1-2cm from base of the leaf) and 3 (2-3cm from base of the leaf), 3 replicates

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Fina J, Casadevall R, AbdElgawad H, Prinsen E, Markakis MN, Beemster GTS, Casati P