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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Geneva, New York » Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU) » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #368231
Research Project: Grapevine Genetics, Genomics and Molecular Breeding for Disease Resistance, Abiotic Stress Tolerance, and Improved Fruit Quality

Location: Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU)

Title: Grape breeders search for reliable DNA markers: Why the Pinot Noir PN40024 reference genome is not enough

Author
item MARTINSON, TIM - Cornell University
item SUN, QI - Cornell University
item ZOU, CHENG - Cornell University
item Cadle-Davidson, Lance

Submitted to: Wine Business Monthly
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/14/2019
Publication Date: 12/6/2019
Citation: Martinson, T., Sun, Q., Zou, C., Cadle Davidson, L.E. 2019. Grape breeders search for reliable DNA markers: Why the Pinot Noir PN40024 reference genome is not enough. Wine Business Monthly. 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: When the PN40024 grape genome was published in 2007, it was heralded as "an invaluable tool for creating grape varieties resistant to diseases without altering the quality of the resulting wine." However, grape geneticists have discovered that the tremendous genetic diversity of grapes from 20 million years of evolution limits the transferability of genetic information from PN40024 to other varieties. In particular, disease resistant grapevines express resistance genes that the susceptible PN40024 reference lacks. The VitisGen2 grape breeding project compared 10 diverse genomes and found that 10% of the genome was shared by all 10 grapevines. This 10%, known as the core genome, was used to develop 2000 DNA markers that can be reliably tracked in all grape varieties and species. Marker transferability improved from 1-2% with the previous technology to 92% with the new core genome markers, providing breeders a reliable platform for genetic mapping and marker-assisted breeding.