Microarray analysis of Bay-0 x Sha recombinant inbred lines at four seed germination stages

Seed germination is characterized by a constant change of gene expression across different time points. These changes are related to specific processes, which eventually determine the onset of seed germination. To get a better understanding on the regulation of gene expression during seed germination, we measured gene expression levels of Arabidopsis thaliana Bay x Sha recombinant inbred lines (RILs) at four important seed germination stages (primary dormant, after-ripened, six-hour after imbibition, and radicle protrusion stage) using. We mapped the eQTL of the gene expression and the result displayed the distinctness of the eQTL landscape for each stage. We found several eQTL hotspots across stages associated with the regulation of expression of a large number of genes. Together, we have revealed that the genetic regulation of gene expression is dynamic along the course of seed germination.