Functional Genomics of Maize Centromeres

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PI: R. Kelly Dawe (University of Georgia - Athens)CoPIs: James A. Birchler (University of Missouri - Columbia), Jiming Jiang (University of Wisconsin - Madison), Gernot Presting (University of Hawaii - Manoa), and Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra (University of California - Davis)Centromeres are regions of the genome that organize and regulate chromosome movement. They are key elements in the development of next-generation artificial chromosomes for introducing new traits into crop plants. Yet the biology of centromeres remains poorly understood. The experiments carried out in this project will complete the sequence and assembly of maize centromeres, address known epigenetic limitations associated with employing artificial chromosomes, develop improved strategies for streamlining centromere study and use, and document the diversity of centromeres in maize and allied species. To expand training opportunities in plant genetics, two programs will be initiated. One will provide hands-on training in plant cytogenetics through an Annual Cytogenetics Workshop to be held at the University of Wisconsin. The second will be an international student exchange program between project laboratories and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Specifically, thirteen students will be funded to travel between universities and work on collaborative projects relating to centromere evolution and function. A web site (www.plantcentromeres.org) will be used to disseminate results from the project and to coordinate outreach activities. In addition, sequence data will be deposited at MaizeGDB (www.maizegdb.org) and GenBank. Germplasm generated will be deposited at the Iowa North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (Ames, IA).