The Arabidopsis translatome cell-specific mRNA atlas

Abstract

Plants consist of distinct cell types dis- tinguished by position, morphologi- cal features and metabolic activities. We recently developed a method to extract cell-type specific mRNA populations by immunopurification of ribosome-associ- ated mRNAs. Microarray profiles of 21 cell-specific mRNA populations from seedling roots and shoots comprise the Arabidopsis Translatome dataset. This gene expression atlas provides a new tool for the study of cell-specific processes. Here we provide an example of how genes involved in a pathway limited to one or few cell-types can be further char- acterized and new candidate genes can be predicted. Cells of the root endoder- mis produce suberin as an inner barrier between the cortex and stele, whereas the shoot epidermal cells form cutin as a bar- rier to the external environment. Both polymers consist of fatty acid derivates, and share biosynthetic origins. We use the Arabidopsis Translatome dataset to demonstrate the significant cell-specific expression patterns of genes involved in those biosynthetic processes and suggest new candidate genes in the biosynthesis of suberin and cutin.