Comparative single nuclei sequencing of the monocot gynoecium reveal candidate genes underlying septal nectary development in banana and asparagus
I. T. LIAO, L. C. HILEMAN,K. E. SEARS,L. A. NIKOLOV
Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, 2162 Terasaki Life Sciences Building, University of California – Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Nectary function is central to many important ecological interactions. Across flowering plants, nectaries are diverse in positional location and morphology, yet few have used genomic approaches to examine how nectaries develop. Most monocot flowers form septal nectaries, which are located on the margins between the three fused carpels that comprise the gynoecium. While key transcription factors underlying nectary development in eudicots have been characterized, the genes driving monocot nectary development are virtually unknown. As a first step to identifying candidate genes, we are using single nuclei RNA sequencing to obtain cell-type specific expression profiles. We isolated and sequenced banana (Musa “Ice Cream”) nuclei from two sets of tissues—one region enriched in nectary cells at the top of gynoecium (the “top”) and the other that lacks nectary cells at the base of the gynoecium (the “base”)—and asparagus (Asparagus officinalis ) nuclei from whole gynoecia. We identified putative nectary cell clusters and genes for both species, suggesting that both species share a common set of genes for nectary function and possibly common genes for development. Results from this study will form the foundation for understanding how nectaries have been conserved in monocots.