Changes in the maize (B73) 1-cm primary root growth zone transcriptome induced by mild (-0.03 MPa) or severe water-deficit stress (-1.6 MPa)

Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to profile genome-wide transcript abundance in the primary root growth zone (PRGZ) of maize seedlings grown in different water deficit treatments: well-watered (-0.02 MPa), mild water deficit stress (-0.3 MPa), or severe water deficit stress (-1.6 MPa). For each water deficit treatment, the PRGZ transcriptome was profiled at 26 hours after initiation of the water deficit treatment. By comparing the abundance of each transcript under mild or severe water deficit stress relative to its abundance under well-watered conditions, we identified transcripts that are differentially regulated in the PRGZ in response to the two levels of water deficit stress. Overall design: For each of the three treatments (well-watered, mild water deficit, and severe water deficit), three biological replicates consisting of 5 x 1-cm primary root growth zone segments of maize seedlings were examined by RNA-seq.