Molecular and genetic mechanisms of
agronomically important quantitative traits. Molecular
biology of plant development. Regulation of gene expression in
higher plants. Plant genomics. Bioinformatics.
Twenty-five years ago. we
developed a method called shotgun DNA sequencing. which has been used to
sequence the genomes of microorganisms. animals. and plants. Recently. in collaboration with other laboratories we have sequenced the entire
rice genome as a reference for gene discovery and organization in cereal
species. Cereals are part of the grass family and some of its members
provide the major food supply on earth. One interesting feature of the
genomes of different cereal species is the enormous size variation. which is in part due to differential retro-transpositions and up to some
degree due to gene amplification. An example of differential gene
amplification is the seed storage protein genes in maize. From a
practical point of view. the amino acid composition of the mature seed
is controlled by the accumulation of the differentially expressed
storage proteins. which therefore regulate nitrogen deposition in the
seed and serve as a major renewable energy resource on earth.
Interestingly. gene amplification results in differential regulation of
individual gene members. providing new clues of plant chromosomal
organization and functionalization.
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