Poster: Genome evolution

Abs # 840: Brassica Genome Research - Current Status and Strategy

Presenter:	Lim, Yong Pyo , yplim@cnu.ac.kr
Authors	Lim, Yong Pyo  (A)   Park, Beom Seok  (B)   Bancroft, Ian  (C)
Affiliations:	(A): Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Chungnam National University (B): National Institute of Agricultural Biology, RDA, Suweon, Korea (C): Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK

Due to their close phylogenetic relationship of Brassicas with Arabidopsis thaliana, it was anticipated that knowledge transfer for Brassica crop improvement would be straightforward. However, although the physiology and developmental biology of Arabidopsis and Brassica are very similar, yet the genomes of Brassica are very complex as a result of multiple polyploidization during their evolution. The genomes of Brassica species, although 4 to 10 times larger than that of A. thaliana, are still of a tractable size for genomic technologies. Physical maps are being constructed for the Brassica A genome in Korea (http://www.brassicagenome.org/) and for both the A and C genomes in the UK (http://brassica.bbsrc.ac.uk/IGF/?page=body/project.htm). The international Brassica research community is working together to establish communal genomic resources (http://www.brsassica.info). A steering group has been formed for the Multinational Brassica Genome Project. This steering group recently agreed that the goals should include anchoring of the BAC-based physical maps being constructed for Brassica genomes, and that the 550Mb Brassica A genome should be sequenced by an international consortium by 2007 (http://www.brassicagenome.org; http://brassica.bbsrc.ac.uk/sc_120103.htm). The first stage in the genome sequencing program is to end-sequence the BAC libraries, consisting of 110,592 clones, which have been constructed in B. rapa ssp. pekinensis inbred Chiifu. The second stage is the genetic anchoring, using communal populations and maps, of ca. 1,000 seed BACs to be used for the initiation of sequencing. The third phase will involve a BAC-by-BAC strategy starting form genetically mapped seed BACs and extended using BAC end sequence data to identify overlapping BACs to sequence next.