Dear Colleagues,

Maize has long served as an important crop not only for food but also for feed, as well as for industrial utilization worldwide. Exploration of the molecular mechanisms and/or genetic bases of gene expression in maize could help understand how agronomic traits, including plant architecture, stress tolerance, nutrient utilization, and biomass, are formed, thus laying a foundation for the molecular breeding of new varieties to ensure food supply and improve plant–environment interactions. In addition, a number of cutting-edge technologies have emerged in recent years to further contribute to people’s understanding of how gene expression is regulated genetically at different tiers and in different contexts; however, much remains to be investigated. This Special Issue of Plants aims to publish the latest discoveries on gene expression associated with genetic regulation at various developmental stages in maize plants grown under different conditions. Contributions that either depict individual gene expression patterns or construct gene expression regulatory networks are encouraged to be submitted for publication. We believe that your contribution will have a significant influence on future maize research. 

Prof. Dr. Chunyi Zhang
Dr. Li Pu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• gene expression
• transcription
• translation
• post-transcription
• post-translation
• genetic variation
• epigenetic control
• omics
• regulatory network
• maize