| Abstract | Flax is an important domesticated crop that is farmed for the production of linen textiles and for its oil seeds that contain many important human health-promoting compounds. Flax is one of the earliest domesticated crops, yet progress in genetic, genomic, and transcriptomic analysis of important agricultural traits has been relatively slow. Major gene expression studies have examined bast fiber development, seed development, and stress responses. These studies have identified some key genes involved in oil production and highlight some unique aspects of the cell wall of bast fibers which is of great interest to linen producers and cell wall biologists. Following the recently published genome sequence, flax is currently poised for further amelioration of economically important traits through directed breeding approaches and molecular genetics. Here, we review some of the major transcriptomics studies on flax development, highlight the major discoveries, and provide some perspective on further development of this crop. |
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