An exploration of cis-regulatory diversity in plant single-cells

Each cell of a multicellular organism generally contains the same DNA sequence. Yet, a single organism is composed of thousands of highly diverse and functionally unique cell types, facilitated by gene regulation. At the forefront of gene regulation are cis-regulatory elements that control “when” and “where” a gene is expressed. Mutations within CREs can perturb the native pattern and magnitude of gene expression and result in drastic molecular, cellular, and morphological phenotypes. I will discuss new efforts to chart chromatin accessibility variation within and across Zea mays at the level of individual cells as a source of phenotypic innovation.