Mining novel kernel size-related genes by pQTL mapping and multi-omics integrative analysis in developing maize kernels The results reveal that the transcript level alone does not always reliably predict protein abundance at the population scale, and protein abundance variation may play an important role in orchestrating the biological functions of genes involved in the same biological pathways. Keywords: proteomics; protein quantitative trait locus; multi-omics integration; kernel-related traits; maize EN proteomics protein quantitative trait locus multi-omics integration kernel-related traits maize 1489 1491 3 08/26/21 20210801 NES 210801 As a sink organ for starch, protein, oil and essential nutrients, the maize ( I Zea mays i ) kernel is not only the main target for yield and quality improvement but also a model system for genetic and molecular biology studies. [Extracted from the article]