EXPRESSION PROFILING OF CAROTENOID PATHWAY GENES IN MAIZE

Maize (Zea mays) belongs to the family of grasses Poaceae. It was domesticated from wild Teosinte in Central America. It is the third most important cereal in India after wheat and rice. The maize landraces exhibited diverse phenotypes with colors varying from white, light and dark yellow, orange, red and purple. Color in maize is controlled by relative number of pigments, namely anthocyanin and carotenoids. Yellow maize derives their colour from lutein and zeaxanthin while in red colored maize, the kernel coloration is due to anthocyanins and phlobaphenes. In this book, four varieties of maize with red, yellow, white and purple color were evaluated for carotenoid pathway gene expression profiles during leaf development. The RNA was isolated and cDNA was synthesised. The expression analysis was carried out using RT-PCR.