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Recent breakthroughs in transcriptome analysis and gene characterization have provided valuable resources and information about the maize endo-sperm developmental program. The high temporal-resolution transcriptome analysis has yielded unprecedented access to information about the genetic control of seed development. Detailed spatial transcriptome analysis using laser-capture microdissection has revealed the expression patterns of specific populations of genes in the four major endosperm compart- ments:the basal endosperm transfer layer (BETL), aleurone layer (AL), starchy endosperm (SE), and embryo-surrounding region (ESR). Although the overall picture of the transcriptional regulatory network of endosperm development remains fragmentary, there have been some exciting ad-vances, such as the identification of OPAQUE11 (O11) as a central hub of the maize endosperm regulatory network connecting endosperm devel-opment, nutrient metabolism, and stress re-sponses, and the discovery that the endosperm adjacent to scutellum (EAS) serves as a dynamic interface for endosperm-embryo crosstalk. In ad-dition, several genes that function in BETL devel-opment, AL differentiation, and the endosperm cell cycle have been identified, such as ZmSWEET4c, Thk1, and Dek15, respectively. Here, we focus on current advances in under-standing the molecular factors involved in BETL, AL, SE, ESR, and EAS development, including the specific transcriptional regulatory networks that function in each compartment during endosperm development.