The DOE JGI sequenced the model alga C. reinhardtii, soybean (G. max), the moss P. patens, the poplar tree (P. trichocarpa), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) to create a platform for DOE plant science research. These plants are among those that have been designated as DOE JGI Plant Flagship Genomes. As part of the Flagship Plant Gene Atlas project, researchers will develop a list of several dozen common treatment conditions such as various hormonal and stress conditions, as well as conditions specific to each plant species. In addition to the project focused on these five Flagship Plant genomes outlined above, the researchers also plan to carry out a coordinated study in the remaining 5 DOE JGI Plant Flagship genomes (Panicum virgatum, Panicum hallii, Sorghum bicolor, Brachypodium distachyon, and Miscanthus sinensis) and three comparative model species (Medicago truncatula, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Zea mays), focusing on three conditions across these 13 important species that compare nitrogen metabolism. In particular, the team intends to study three conditions that directly compare the pathways utilized in NH4 versus N03 update in plants. This provides us a rich data set to compare the effects of different nitrogen sources on gene expression. These data sets will be able directly to DOE Knowledgebase (KBase).
PI: Gary Stacey, University of Missouri