Identification of repressed gene transcript accumulation in three albino mutants of Bambusa edulis Munro by cDNA microarray analysis

Abstract

Background: Bamboo is an economically important market vegetable and processed food product in Asia. An accelerated growth rate and increased photosynthesis efficiency would be valuable agronomic traits in commercial bamboo culture. Tissue culture-derived albino mutants can be used as experimental material to investigate this phenomenon, but the current body of genetic information available on bamboo is very limited. Results: A cDNA library was constructed from in vitro shoots of Bambusa edulis Munro and subsequently used in a bamboo microarray analysis to investigate the gene profiles of three albino mutants (ab, ab1, ab2) cultured under light/dark and dark conditions. Analysis of the array..