Finishing the Rice Genome

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spg Hbr NY

Investigators

Abstract

Rice is the most important food source worldwide. The rice genome also serves as a model for the closely related crops such as corn and wheat. The corn and wheat genomes are much larger than that of rice so the rice genome provides a cost effective way to understand these other plants. The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) completed a high quality draft sequence of the rice genome (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica, cv. Nipponbare) in December 2002 and is now committed to finishing the sequence This project continues previous, successful work towards finishing the public rice genome sequence. The 300-350 Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) clones to be sequenced to finished standards (an error rate of no more than 1/10,000 bases) comprise about 10% of the genome. Support from this award will also allow the project to collaborate with groups from other countries to sequence 1% - 2% of the most technically challenging regions of the genome that remain to be completed. The project will host and train scientists from other countries participating in the IRGSP. Training opportunities will also be available for local high school students and faculty from minority serving institutions in a collaboration between the Cold Spring Harbor Genome Center and the Dolan DNA Learning Center. Deliverables All sequence information will be released according to the Bermuda Agreement/Fort Lauderdale principles (http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10506537). All contiguous stretches of sequence (contigs) over 1,500 base pairs in length will be immediately and automatically released at http://nucleus.cshl.edu/riceweb/, including sequence and chromotogram files. Assemblies of BAC sequences will be updated weekly and released to GenBank. The BAC clones sequenced are available through the Clemson University BAC/EST Resource Center (http://www.genome.clemson.edu).