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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #171963
Title: SORGHUM EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAGS PROVIDE A MILESTONE SET OF 16,801 UNIQUE CLUSTERS AND IDENTIFY SIGNATURE GENES FOR DROUGHT, PATHOGENESIS AND ETIOLATION

Author
item CORDONNIER-PRATT, MARIE - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item LIANG, CHUN - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item SHAH, MANISH - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item SUN, FENG - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item WANG, HAIMING - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item REID, ST. PATRICK - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item GINGLE, ALAN - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item PATERSON, ANDREW - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item WING, ROD - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
item DEAN, RALPH - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
item Klein, Robert - Bob

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2005
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Major advancements in science hinge on the development of new tools including the sequence of plant genes. Genes are tiny packets of genetic blueprint material that are found inside the cells of all plants and animals and control all of the physical characteristics of these organisms. Our work focuses on improving major grain crops and, with the sequencing of genes, the genetic blueprint will be visible and this information can make improving the plants more efficient. This study details the sequencing of large numbers of plant genes and details which genes respond to defend sorghum plants against drought and disease. The sequence of the genes of sorghum will permit more efficient identification and understanding of the function of each gene. Information will be primarily used by fellow scientists but the work should ultimately result in better adapted, higher producing crop varieties available to American farmers.

Technical Abstract: Improved knowledge of the Sorghum bicolor transcriptome will enhance basic understanding of how plants respond to stresses and will serve as a sorce of genes of value to agriculture. We present here the creation and analysis of an expressed sequence tag resource designed to help define and characterize the sorghum transcriptome. A total of 117,682 expressed sequence tags were obtained from about half that number of cDNs, most of which were sequenced from both ends. Just under half were estimated to be full coding length. Sorghum cDNA libraries were prepared from light, and dark grown seedlings, drought stressed plants, fungal infected seedlings and plants, ovaries, embryos, and immature panicles. Other libraries were prepared with floral meristems, and from rhizomes from Sorghum propinquum and Sorghum halepense. Most libraries were neither subtracted nor normalized and were sampled randomly for sequencing. A total of 16,801 unique transcripts, of which 9,032 were in clusters of two or more members, were identified. These libraries were predicted to contain a total of approximately 31,000 unique transcripts. Individual libraries, however, were predicted to contain no more than about 6,000 to 9,000 unique transcripts, with the exception of light-grown seedlings, which yielded an estimate of close to 13,000. Hierarchical clustering identified 775 that were differentially expressed and established a subset of signiture genes defining drought, fungal infection, ovary, etiolation, immature panicles, and embryos.