Natalie J. Nannas and R. Kelly Dawe

Genetics March 1, 2015 vol. 199 no. 3 655-669

http://www.genetics.org/content/199/3/655.abstract?etoc

Abstract

Maize has a long history of genetic and genomic tool development and is considered one of the most accessible higher plant systems. With a fully sequenced genome, a suite of cytogenetic tools, methods for both forward and reverse genetics, and characterized phenotype markers, maize is amenable to studying questions beyond plant biology. Major discoveries in the areas of transposons, imprinting, and chromosome biology came from work in maize. Moving forward in the post-genomic era, this classic model system will continue to be at the forefront of basic biological study. In this review, we outline the basics of working with maize and describe its rich genetic toolbox.

Figure 1 (A) The maize plant (Zea mays ssp. mays). Maize is generally grown in local fields in the summer and either in greenhouses or tropical outdoor locations in the winter. (B) Maize fields ready for harvest. (C) The male repro-ductive organs are located in the tassel; pollen released from the tassel bears the sperm. The inset shows a closeup offlorets splitting open to reveal yellow anthers, the structure that stores and releases pollen. (D) The young ear produces female structures called silks, which receive pollen. The pollen germi-nates and grows down the silk to the ovule which develops into a kernel. (E) After performing a cross, the fertilized ear is covered by a brown bag to pre-vent contamination by other pollen; the bag is marked with relevant parent lineages and date of the cross. The small white bags protect developing ears from pollen prior to crossing. Images in A, D, and E are courtesy of Carolina Chavarro, and B is courtesy of Bill and Connie Funk.