Modelling Structure and Function of Proteins Encoded by the Rice Genome

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Rice is one of the most important crops in the world, and the main source of food for nearly half of the world's population. Rice research can be applied the other major cereals, such as wheat and maize, and many aspects of rice genomics can be transferred to the many minor economic grass species that have themselves not warranted extensive research and breeding. Drafts of the rice genome have been recently published, and current estimates indicate that 60,000 genes are present in rice. The plan is to construct a structural and functional model for every protein encoded by the rice genome using methods developed at the University of Washington. The project will further the understanding and elucidation of the function of characterized as well as novel proteins, identify those proteins that improve yield and confer disease and pest resistance, and enable genetic engineering of rice crops with beneficial traits not naturally found in rice. The research, involving the collaborative efforts of scientists from all over the world, will provide opportunities for the training of undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows. All the information generated by the research will be generated through a web server and database: http://bioverse.compbio.washington.edu, which will provide a synergistic portal to obtain a comprehensive picture of rice and cereal organismal biology. Besides helping understand how other plant genomes work, this research will also set up a framework for integrating single molecule and genomic data, and thus the science developed will help with projects on analyzing other genomes.