Crop Genomics Research: Instrumentation for High-Throughput Processing of Samples

0070371 PI：Thea A.威尔金斯头衔：作物基因组学研究：高通量处理样品的仪器项目摘要在作物改良中，对遗传多样性、提高生产力、改善食物和纤维质量的需求从未如此强烈，以弥补种质基础狭窄、产量停滞和生产成本上升的问题。遗传学家一直在努力开发工具和资源，以改善作物植物使用分子方法，以加强传统的育种计划和实施生物工程的精英品种的战略。使用机器人技术将劳动密集型程序机械化的创新仪器的引入彻底改变了基因组的研究。这种高通量处理对作物物种中发现的大型复杂基因组研究的影响是巨大的，导致政府机构对植物基因组计划进行了前所未有的投资。对高通量处理至关重要的机器人设备将成为基因组学设施的核心，该设施提供支持基因组项目的核心服务。该设备包括Genetix的Q-Bot，这是一种独特的多任务全自动机器人，专门用于高速、高精度地将微量滴定板中的克隆挑取和点样到过滤器（宏阵列）和高密度网格阵列中的微阵列上。高容量HiGro定轨摇床优化了微量滴定板中细菌培养物的生长，支持Q-Bot操作和高通量测序工作。基于Q-Bot介导的任务，作物基因组结构和功能的研究包括两个主要领域，即物理作图和基因功能分析。BAC图书馆，无论是现有的还是即将建成的，都将被挑选出来，并排列在高密度过滤器上，以分发给研究界。BAC过滤器用于对BAC克隆进行指纹分析并组装BAC重叠群，以制备豆类、棉花、莴苣、水稻以及二倍体和四倍体小麦的序列就绪物理图谱。这种过滤器还将促进重要农艺基因的图位克隆，包括水稻的耐淹性、小麦的春化作用和棉花纤维基因。Q-Bot还将加快EST项目中的基因发现过程，并促进基因功能的研究。宏阵列和微阵列将用于研究响应于一系列环境、生理和发育刺激的差异基因表达，以确定作物生产力中的关键基因功能，包括营养种子质量（核桃）、胁迫和营养物质。（水稻和小麦）和疾病（拟南芥和莴苣）的反应，以及产量和纤维质量（棉花）。作物基因组学联盟将开发工具和资源，为科学界服务，以供全球分发，在此过程中，发展成为利用基因组学开发新种质的活动的主要中心和焦点，以提高主要作物物种的食物和纤维质量。对学生和博士后研究员进行高通量技术培训将是该小组提供的研究和教学活动的一个组成部分。

0070371 PI: Thea A. WilkinsTitle: Crop Genomics Research: Instrumentation for High-throughput Processing of SamplesProject AbstractThe need for genetic diversity, increased productivity, and improved food and fiber quality in the improvement of crop plants to offset a narrow germplasm base, yield plateaus and rising production costs has never been greater. Geneticists have been hard at work developing the tools and resources to improve crop plants using molecular approaches to augment traditional breeding programs and implement strategies for bioengineering elite cultivars. The introduction of innovative instrumentation that mechanizes labor-intensive procedures using robotics has revolutionized the study of genomes. The impact of such high-throughput processing on the study of large, complex genomes as those found in crop species is enormous, leading to an unprecedented investment in Plant Genome Initiatives by government agencies. Robotic equipment pivotal to high-throughput processing will nucleate the formation of a genomics facility that provides core services in support of genome projects. The equipment includes Genetix's Q-Bot, a unique multi-tasking, fully automated robot that specializes in high speed, high accuracy picking and spotting of clones in microtiter plates onto filters (macroarrays) and microarrays in high density gridded arrays. The high capacity HiGro orbital shaker optimizes the growth of bacterial cultures in microtiter plates in support of Q-Bot operations and high-throughput sequencing efforts.Studies on the structure and function of crop genomes that hinge on Q-Bot-mediated tasks encompass two major areas of endeavor related to physical mapping and analysis of gene function. BAC libraries, both existing and soon-to-be constructed, will be picked and arrayed on high density filters for distribution to the research community. BAC filters serve to fingerprint BAC clones and assemble BAC contigs for the purpose of preparing a sequence-ready physical map for beans, cotton, lettuce, rice, and diploid and tetraploid wheat. Such filters will also facilitate map-based cloning of important agronomic genes, including submergence tolerance in rice, vernalization in wheat, and cotton fiber genes. The Q-Bot will also speed up the gene discovery process in EST projects and facilitate the study of gene function. Macro- and microarrays will be used to study differential gene expression in response to a host of environmental, physiological and developmental stimuli to identify key gene functions in crop productivity, including nutritional seed quality (walnuts), stress (rice and wheat) and disease (Arabidopsis and lettuce) responses, and yield and fiber quality (cotton).The crop genomics consortium will develop tools and resources in service of the scientific community for global distribution, and in so doing, evolve as a major center and focal point for activities to harness genomics in the development of novel germplasm with enhanced food and fiber quality in major crop species. Training of students and postdoctoral fellows in high-throughput technology will be an integral part of research and teaching activities offered by the group.