Expression analysis of plant intracellular Ras-group related leucine-rich repeat proteins (PIRLs) in .

contains a family of nine genes known as plant intracellular Ras-group related leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins (PIRLs). These are structurally similar to animals and fungal LRR proteins and play important roles in developmental pathways. However, to date, no detailed tissue-specific expression analysis of these has been performed. Therefore, in this study, we generated promoter:GUS transgenic plants for the nine genes and identified their expression patterns in seedlings and floral organs at different developmental stages. Most members showed expression in the root apical region and in the vascular tissue of primary and lateral roots. Shoot apex-specific expression was recorded for and . Furthermore, , , and showed distinct expression patterns in flowers, especially in pollen and anthers. In addition, co-expression network analysis identified cases where were co-expressed with other genes known to have specific functions related to growth and development. Taken together, the tissue-specific expression patterns of genes improve our understanding of the functions of this gene family in plant growth and development.