2017 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 77-83
Improving the yield and quality of crops is imperative within agriculture. Both traits depend on gene expression and metabolic activities that are affected by environmental factor, and are therefore complex and variable. Transcriptome analysis is a helpful method to understand gene expression profiles in vivo; however, most crops are in fact cultivars for which there is little genetic information. In this study, we determined gene expression profiles of Perilla frutescens var. crispa f. viridis, a cultivar of green perilla. We compared the transcriptome gene sequence of P. frutescens in leaves and roots after 7, 14, and 35 d of growth with the gene sequences of other plants in public databases. Green perilla showed the highest similarity to Mimulus guttatus (Lamiales). Genetic information for approximately 13,000 genes was evaluated, and many of these genes have been classified into the organism's biological processes using Gene Ontology analysis. De novo-based gene expression levels and other plants-based gene expression levels were similar in 90% of genes. Results suggest that information from public databases can assist in analyzing the genetic information of cultivars. This method will be a platform for providing rapid and cost-effective options for use in commercial agriculture.
