Microbial Genome Sequencing - EST Survey of Charophycean Green Algae

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Land plants (or embryophytes), which include flowering plants, gymnosperms, ferns, mosses, and their relatives, are vital to almost every aspect of human life. They provide the food that we eat, absorb CO2, put oxygen in the air, provide wood, fiber, and were the original source of most coal. This project will explore the fundamental, shared properties of land plants by studying the genomes of the closest living relatives of land plants. The charophyte green algae are structurally simple organisms that share relatively recent ancestry with plants, and consequently understanding these organisms can help understand the properties of the ancestors of plants. Seven charophytes will be studied by EST analysis, with a goal of obtaining roughly 10,000 individual EST sequences from each of these seven organisms. EST analysis involves sequencing randomly-selected clones from a library made of reverse-transcribed messenger RNA, and is complementary to complete-genome sequencing. In addition to EST sequencing, the project will fully sequence a substantial fraction of the clones, will annotate and analyze the sequences for their potential significance to the evolution of land plants, and will perform preliminary studies such as genome size estimation that will provide background information needed for future genomic study.This project will greatly expand the database of gene sequences available from the closest living relatives of land plants. This will lead to an improved understanding of the fundamental properties of land plants and their relatives. In addition, it will provide comparative data that are essential for more applied studies that seek to control and manipulate plant properties such as signal transduction - which controls plant development and environmental responses - key biochemistries such as lignification and secondary-products chemistry, and crop yield and environmental tolerance. The work will be coordinate with, and will complement, ongoing efforts to understand plant and microbial genomes, and the structure of the tree of life, and will lead toward the development of novel model systems. It will provide training for at least one postdoctoral associate and several undergraduates.