Transcript profiling of transcription factor genes during silique development in Arabidopsis

Flower development is a key process for all angiosperms and is essential for sexual reproduction. The last phase in flower development is fertilization of the ovules and formation of the fruits, which are both biologically and economically of importance. Here, we report the expression profiles of over 1100 unique Arabidopsis genes coding for known and putative transcription factors (TFs) during silique development using high-density filter array hybridizations. Hierarchical cluster analyses revealed distinct expression profiles for the different silique developmental stages. This allowed a functional classification of these expression profiles in groups, namely pistil development, embryogenesis, seed maturation, fruit maturation, and fruit development. A further focus was made on the MADS-box family, which contains many members that are functionally well-characterized. The expression profiles of these MADS-box genes during silique development give additional clues on their functions and evolutionary relationship.