Plant & Animal Genomes XV Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XV ConferenceJanuary 13-17, 2007
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Pauline Stephenson , Lars Ostergaard
The isolation of plant lines with mutations in specific genes of interest (reverse genetics) is a powerful tool for both fundamental studies of plant biology and to improve crop performance. Reverse genetics requires sequence information, and tools have thus been extensively developed in organisms for which the entire genome sequence is known such as Arabidopsis and rice.
Brassica species are obvious targets for crop improvement since they include important crop plants such as oilseed rape and Chinese cabbage. The Brassica A genome of the diploid B. rapa species is currently being sequenced allowing for reverse genetics tools to be generated.
We are setting up mutant populations in B. rapa (R-O-18) by chemical and physical mutagenesis in order to generate reverse genetics platforms in this species. These collections will be included in a recently developed initiative called the Multinational Brassica TILLING Consortium (MBTC), which consists of groups that are generating TILLING populations in various Brassica species. The aim of MBTC is first to facilitate distribution of DNA samples between members, thus enabling each member to screen the global population. A second important function of MBTC is the exchange of experience, which will be mediated through annual meetings and web-based reports. We hope that MBTC will benefit Brassica research worldwide and increase collaborative efforts within the Brassica community.