Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X ConferenceJanuary 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Workshop: Brassicas
The UK Brassica genome project provides a focus for the UK Brassica research community (UK-BRC) and involves construction of physical contigs for the Brassica A and C genomes, anchored to the Arabidopsis genome and Brassica genetic maps. The project is funded as part of the BBSRC 'Investigating Gene Function' initiative, with the aim of making genomic resources available to researchers in the public domain. BAC libraries for the B. oleracea C genome (BoB and JBo) and B. rapa A genome (JBr) have been constructed by HRI and JIC. All BAC clones are being fingerprinted, and gridded filters probed with genetically mapped Brassica RFLP probes and about 1200 unique Arabidopsis probes. There is an open call for nominated probes as a service to the Brassica and Arabidopsis research communities. After the first year we have started to generate contigs using FPC software. All details of the probes used and contig results are available from the project website and database. Results from the A and C genomes demonstrate that contigs are emerging, which include those which are colinear with the Arabidopsis genome and which can be assigned to distinct replicated loci within the Brassica genomes. These resources are facilitating progress for a range of map-based cloning projects, as well as providing insights into Brassica genome evolution in comparison with Arabidopsis. Examples will be given of how the information being accumulated will enhance our ability to understand the biology of Brassica spp.