The transcriptional landscape of polyploid wheat ($) (Science)

Wheat is a tough nut to crack, as it is hexaploid, comprising three diploid genomes (the A, B and D genomes). The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium has released a fully-annotated wheat reference genome, and Ramírez-González et al. present a thorough analysis of its transcriptome. Although in many cases the corresponding genes from each of the three genomes are transcribed at similar levels, for about 30% of genes the expression is unbalanced. The authors identify the presence of transposons as contributing to these differential expression patterns. Obviously these articles are outstanding resources for wheat improvement efforts. (Summary by Mary Williams) Science 10.1126/science.aar6089 and 10.1126/science.aar7191