High-Density DNA Microarrays for Global Gene Expression Studies in Plants

随着植物生物学家接近21世纪，由于自动化DNA测序的进步，了解细胞生理学和分化，器官发育，抗病和耐受性的分子基础有了巨大的机会。这些植物研究的基础领域已经被新的序列数据所淹没，这些数据为植物生命的核心遗传元素提供了线索。美国与国际研究界一道，将拟南芥模式系统的全基因组测序推广到植物基因组研究的种子工作中。这种资源的价值不能被夸大，因为在整个进化史上基因序列和蛋白质功能的显著保护。基因组研究所（TIGR）在拟南芥基因组计划中发挥了重要作用，并将于1999年中期公布染色体II的完整序列，超过基因组的10%（估计120兆碱基对中的16-17兆碱基对）。TIGR还被资助对整个拟南芥序列进行注释，以便AGI（拟南芥基因组计划）国际联盟生成的数据将以统一和信息的方式进行整理和维护。该奖项支持构建用于拟南芥功能基因组研究的完整染色体II微阵列。染色体II微阵列将用于在整个染色体水平上编目基因表达，并评估和扩展基因预测算法，这些算法现在被用于注释完整的基因组序列。在基因组计划的这个阶段，大约30%的预测基因产物被注释为“假设的蛋白质”。使用微阵列技术鉴定这些假设的相应mRNA物种，将立即增加基因组注释的权重。此外，关于染色体基因表达模式的信息将导致对基因组组织和基因网络激活的更精细的理解。验证我们目前的基因预测和纠正那些与生理不相关的假设将提高这种普遍植物资源的价值。植物生物学的基本原理将揭示拟南芥序列：21世纪植物基因组研究的参考基因组。该微阵列程序将为拟南芥序列数据提供额外的生理数据，并加强其在基础和应用植物研究中的应用，有利于我国农业和经济的国家利益。拟南芥基因组的这些观察结果将直接转移到其他植物物种的基因组计划中，帮助所有研究小组充分发挥国家植物基因组研究计划的潜力。

As plant biologists approach the 21st century there are tremendous opportunities for understanding the molecular basis of cellular physiology and differentiation, organ development, disease resistance, and stress tolerance, because of advancements in automated DNA sequencing. These fundamental areas of plant research have been inundated with new sequence data that provide clues to the genetic elements central to plant life. The United States along with the international research community has promoted the complete genome sequencing of the model system Arabidopsis thaliana to seed efforts in plant genomic research. The value of this resource can not be overstated because of the significant conservation of gene sequence and protein function throughout evolutionary history. The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) has played a major role in the Arabidopsis genome initiative and will publish the complete sequence of Chromosome II, more than 10% of the genome (16-17 megabase pairs out of an estimated 120 megabase pairs), in mid 1999. TIGR has also been funded to annotate the entire Arabidopsis sequence so that data generated by the AGI (Arabidopsis Genome Initiative) international consortium will be curated and maintained in a unified and informative fashion. This award supports the construction of a complete Chromosome II microarray for functional genomic studies of Arabidopsis. The Chromosome II microarray will be used to catalog gene expression at the whole chromosome level and to evaluate and extend the gene prediction algorithms that are now being employed for annotation of the complete genomic sequence. At this stage of the genome program, approximately 30% of the predicted gene products are annotated as "hypothetical proteins." Identification of a corresponding mRNA species for these hypotheticals, using microarray technologies, will immediately add weight to the genome annotation. Moreover, information about chromosomal gene expression patterns will lead to a more refined understanding of genome organization and the activation of gene networks. Validation of our current gene predictions and correction of those hypothesis that are not physiologically relevant will enhance the value of this universal plant resource. The fundamentals of plant biology will be revealed by the Arabidopsis thaliana sequence: a reference genome for plant genomic research in the 21st century. This microarray program will provide a means to map additional physiological data to the Arabdiopsis sequence data and enhance its used for basic and applied plant research beneficial to our agricultural and economic national interests. These observations of the Arabidopsis genome will be directly transferable to genome programs in other plant species, helping all research groups to realize the full potential of a National Plant Genome Research Program.