Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X ConferenceJanuary 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Poster: Genome Sequencing & ESTs
Tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb, is a major cool season forage and turf grass in the temperate regions of the world. In 2001, we reported the initiation of an expressed sequence tag (EST) and expression analyses project in tall fescue with a target of generating ~40,000 ESTs. cDNA libraries have been constructed from leaf, root, stem, and inflorescence tissues, and from heat-treated and drought-treated shoots. High-throughput sequence analyses of these libraries are underway in collaboration with the Medicago Functional Genomics Program at the Noble Foundation. The bioinformatics needs for processing the sequence data generated from this project are being met through partnership with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. The unique cDNA clones will be used for generation of microarrays for expression analyses. A priority will be placed upon the identification of genes differentially expressed during stress conditions e.g., heat and drought stress. The EST data will also be used for development of SSR and SNP markers. Data from this project should contribute to gene discovery and deciphering of gene functions in tall fescue and related grass species. These data will also increase our knowledge on genome conservation between tall fescue and other major grasses including rice, wheat, maize, sorghum and other crops in the grass family. Progress on generation of ESTs and application of these data for expression analyses and marker development will be presented.