Acquisition of an Advanced Plant Molecular Genetics Facility

我们将为高通量自动化植物分子遗传学设施购置和操作仪器。该设施将包括一个自动DNA测序仪，一个DNA提取机器人，一个实验室工作站，一个热循环仪，一个磷光成像仪和支持计算机。 该设施将主要提供三个领域的研究支持：DNA测序、基因表达定量分析和遗传分析。 该设施将影响9个研究植物分子遗传学的部门的至少24个生产性研究项目，从模式物种的基础分子遗传学到应用作物改良项目。我们目前受到缺乏这种仪器的严重限制。所有这些研究都将受益于这一设施。可靠地生成可访问的DNA序列数据是许多生物学研究的基本组成部分，特别是基因识别和表征。基因表达的准确测定是研究基因功能的关键。现在已经为研究中的大多数物种开发了分子标记;现在应该利用这些标记。这个设施将允许一个规模的实验，否则在学术环境中是不可能的。自动化DNA提取以及模板制备和分析将允许大量样本准确运行。 加州大学戴维斯分校研究办公室和农业与环境科学学院都致力于开发这一设施，这一点通过他们的财政支持水平得到了证明。他们的贡献，加上Keygene的贡献，构成了NSF要求的金额的50%。学院将提供总共五年的技术支持，超过资助期两年。 我们将继续开发和应用高效的分子标记技术。特别是，我们正在与应用生物系统公司合作，在他们的仪器上分析扩增片段长度多态性作为共显性标记。这将增加他们的机器的实用性，并允许在许多人身上分析数百个标记。它还将减少放射性废物的产生。

We will acquire and operate instruments for a high-throughput automated plant molecular genetics facility. The facility will comprise of an automated DNA sequencer, a DNA extraction robot, a laboratory workstation, a thermocycler, a phosphoimager, and supporting computers. The facility will primarily provide three areas of research support: DNA sequencing, quantitative analysis of gene expression, and genetic analysis. The facility will impact at least 24 productive research programs in nine departments that study plant molecular genetics, ranging from fundamental molecular genetics on model species to applied crop improvement programs. We are currently severely limited by the lack of this instrumentation. All these studies would benefit from this facility. Several experiments are impossible without it. Reliable generation of accessible DNA sequence data is a fundamental component for many biological investigations, particularly gene identification and characterization. Accurate measurement of gene expression is critical to studies on gene function. Molecular markers have now been developed for most of the species under study; these should now be utilized. This facility will allow a scale of experimentation that would be otherwise impossible in an academic setting. Automated DNA extraction as well as template preparation and analysis will allow large numbers of samples to be run with accuracy. Both the UC Davis Office of Research and the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences are committed to developing this facility as demonstrated by their level of financial support. Their contribution, together with that from Keygene, constitutes a 50% match to the amount requested from NSF. The College will provide technical support for a total of five years, two years beyond the funding period. We will continue to develop and apply efficient molecular marker technologies. In particular, we are collaborating with Applied Biosystems to analyze Ampli fied Fragment Length Polymorphisms as codominant markers on their instruments. This will increase the utility of their machines and allow hundreds of markers to be analyzed on many individuals. It will also reduce the generation of radioactive waste.