Plant & Animal Genome IX Conference

Workshop: Compositae
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COMPOSITDB AND COMPARATIVE GENOMICS OF DOMESTICATION TRAITS IN LETTUCE AND SUNFLOWER

¹ University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

² Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

³ Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA

⁴ University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA

We have developed an ACEDB-type database for the Compositae, particularly lettuce and sunflower. Compositdb (http://Compositdb.ucdavis.edu) provides genetic information and gel images for markers as well as descriptions of RFLP probes and primers for PCR-based markers. It will display integrated maps for lettuce and sunflower as well as individual maps. We are embarking on a comparative genomics project involving lettuce, sunflower and Arabidopsis. We will study the genes underlying agriculturally important, qualitative and quantitative traits by conducting parallel genetic analyses on lettuce and sunflower to dissect the genetic basis of traits that distinguish domesticated from wild forms of lettuce and sunflower. We will (i) generate an extensive expressed sequence tag (EST) databases from two different genotypes each of lettuce and sunflower (~80,000 total), (ii) determine the extent of synteny among sunflower, lettuce and Arabidopsis by mapping known sequences in lettuce and sunflower and by comparison to the genomic sequence of Arabidopsis, (iii) conduct quantitative trait locus (QTL) and candidate gene analyses of domestication traits, and (iv) develop a genetic approach to the control of expression levels of candidate genes. We will determine the genetic bases and linkage relationships of metabolic and morphological changes associated with domestication. This will allow the development of PCR-based markers for high-throughput genetic analyses. It will show the extent of synteny between the two major divisions within the Compositae and with Arabidopsis for sequenced genes and QTLs.