Seeds are complex biological systems comprising three genetically distinct tissues nested one inside another (embryo, endosperm, and maternal tissues). However, the complexity of the kernel makes it difficult to understand intercompartment interactions without access to spatially accurate information. Here, we took advantage of the large size of the maize (Zea mays) kernel to characterize genome-wide expression profiles of tissues at different embryo/endosperm interfaces. Our analysis identifies specific transcriptomic signatures in two interface tissues compared with whole seed compartments: the scutellar aleurone layer and the newly named endosperm adjacent to scutellum (EAS). The EAS, which appears around 9 d after pollination and persists for around 11 d, is confined to one to three endosperm cell layers adjacent to the embryonic scutellum. Its transcriptome is enriched in genes encoding transporters. The absence of the embryo in an embryo specific mutant can alter the expression pattern of EAS marker genes. The detection of cell death in some EAS cells together with an accumulation of crushed cell walls suggests that the EAS is a dynamic zone from which cell layers in contact with the embryo are regularly eliminated and to which additional endosperm cells are recruited as the embryo grows.

种子是复杂的生物系统，包括三个相互嵌套的遗传上不同的组织（胚，胚乳和母体组织）。但是，内核的复杂性使得在不访问空间精确信息的情况下很难理解隔室之间的交互。在这里，我们利用了玉米的大尺寸（Zea mays）核可表征不同胚胎/胚乳界面处组织的全基因组表达谱。我们的分析确定了与整个种子区室相比的两个界面组织中的特定转录组特征：盾片糊粉层和与盾片（EAS）相邻的新命名的胚乳。EAS在授粉后约9 d出现并持续约11 d，被限制在与胚胎盾片相邻的一到三个胚乳细胞层中。它的转录组富含编码转运蛋白的基因。胚胎中没有胚胎突变体可以改变EAS标记基因的表达模式。在某些EAS细胞中的细胞死亡以及破碎的细胞壁积聚的检测结果表明，EAS是一个动态区域，从该区域可以定期消除与胚胎接触的细胞层，并随着胚胎的生长募集更多的胚乳细胞。