Analysis of the 5' Untranslated Region Length-Dependent Control of Gene Expression in Maize: A Case Study with the Gene Family.

The untranslated regions (UTRs) within plant mRNAs play crucial roles in regulating gene expression and the functionality of post-translationally modified proteins by various mechanisms. These regions are vital for plants' ability to sense to multiple developmental and environmental stimuli. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of UTRs and UTR-containing genes in maize (). Using the family as a case study, we demonstrated that the length of 5' UTRs could influence gene expression levels by employing reporter gene assays. Although maize and arabidopsis (), as well as rice (), have distinct functional categories of UTR-containing genes, we observed a similar lengthwise distribution of UTRs and a recurring appearance of certain gene ontology (GO) terms between maize and rice. These suggest a potentially conserved mechanism within the Poaceae species. Furthermore, the analysis of -acting elements in these 5' UTRs of the gene family further supports the hypothesis that UTRs confer functional specificity to genes in a length-dependent manner. Our findings offer novel insights into the role of UTRs in maize, contributing to the broader understanding of gene expression regulation in plants.