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Title: Functional annotation of the transcriptome of Sorghum bicolor in response to osmotic stress and abscisic acid

Author
item DUGAS, DIANA - Texas A&M University
item MONACO, MARCELA - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item OLSEN, ANDREW - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item Klein, Robert - Bob
item KUMARI, SUNITA - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item Ware, Doreen
item KLEIN, PATRICIA - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: BMC Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/2011
Publication Date: 10/18/2011
Citation: Dugas, D.V., Monaco, M.K., Olsen, A., Klein, R.R., Kumari, S., Ware, D., Klein, P.E. 2011. Functional annotation of the transcriptome of Sorghum bicolor in response to osmotic stress and abscisic acid. Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics. 12:Article 514.

Interpretive Summary: Major advancements in science hinge on the identification of genes controlling plant and animal traits that are critically important to agriculture. 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 gene sequences, the genetic blueprint will be visible and this information can make improving the plants more efficient. This study details the expression of genes that respond to environmental stress in sorghum. The categorizing of genes whose expression is affected by environmental stress will allow scientists to understand those key features of the genetic blueprint that make sorghum a cereal that prospers in hot, drought-prone conditions. 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: Higher plants exhibit remarkable phenotypic plasticity allowing them to adapt to an extensive range of environmental conditions, and the range of adaptation exhibited by a plant species determines its utility in agriculture. Sorghum is a cereal crop that exhibits unusual tolerance to adverse conditions including water-limiting environments. This study utilized next generation sequencing technology to examine the transcriptome of sorghum plants challenged with osmotic stress and exogenous abscisic acid to elucidate those genes and gene networks that contribute to sorghum's tolerance to water-limiting environments with a long-term aim of developing strategies to improve plant productivity under drought.