Gene expression analysis of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) using cDNA microarrays

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a major forage grass of temperate pastures. A genomics program has been undertaken generating over 52,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Cluster analysis of the ESTs identified approximately 14,600 ryegrass unigenes. In this report, we described the application of ryegrass unigene cDNAs to produce ryegrass 15K microarray. Fifteen microarray hybridisations were performed with labeled total RNA isolated from a variety of plant organs and developmental stages. In a proof of concept, gene expression profiling of ryegrass ESTs using the 15K unigene microarrays has been established using several known genes and two cluster analysis approaches (parallel coordinate planes plot and hierarchical clustering). The expression profile of the known genes (e.g. and invertase) corresponds well with published data. The microarray expression profile of a ryegrass putative root specific kinase gene was also verified with Northern blotting. This combination of DNA microarray hybridisations and cluster analysis can be applied as a tool for the identification of novel sequences of unknown function.