Genetics and Genomics of Brachypodium (Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models Book 18)

Grasses dominate many natural ecosystems and produce the bulk calories consumed by humans either directly in the form of grains or indirectly through forage/grain fed animals. In addition, grasses grown as biomass crops are poised to become a significant source of renewable energy. Despite their economic and environmental importance, research into the unique aspects of grass biology has been hampered by the lack of a truly tractable experimental model system. Over that past decade, the small, annual grass Brachypodium distachyon has emerged as a viable model system for the grasses. This book describes the development of extensive experimental resources (e.g. whole genome sequence, efficient transformation methods, insertional mutant collections, large germplasm collections, recombinant inbred lines, resequenced genomes) that have led many laboratories around the world to adopt B. distachyon as a model system. The use of B. distachyon to address a wide range of biological topics (e.g. disease resistance, cell wall composition, abiotic stress tolerance, root growth and development, floral development, natural diversity) is also discussed. Front Matter....Pages i-xii The Rise of Brachypodium as a Model System....Pages 1-7 Phylogeny and Evolution of the Genus Brachypodium ....Pages 9-38 Molecular Cytogenetics in the Genus Brachypodium ....Pages 39-54 The Brachypodium distachyon Reference Genome....Pages 55-70 Brachypodium Paleogenomics: From Genome Evolution to Translational Research in Grass Crops....Pages 71-80 Genome Size and the Role of Transposable Elements....Pages 81-106 Genomic Diversity and Climate Adaptation in Brachypodium ....Pages 107-127 The microRNAs of Brachypodium ....Pages 129-145 Transformation and T-DNA Mutagenesis....Pages 147-153 Chemical and Radiation Mutagenesis: Induction and Detection by Whole Genome Sequencing....Pages 155-170 Library Resources: BACs, ESTs, Full-Length cDNAs, and Y2H....Pages 171-181 Brachypodium distachyon Genetic Resources....Pages 183-195 Brachypodium distachyon as a Model Species to Understand Grass Cell Walls....Pages 197-217 Brachypodium Seed: A Potential Model for Studying Grain Development of Cereal Crops....Pages 219-243 The Brachypodium distachyon Root System: A Tractable Model to Investigate Grass Roots....Pages 245-258 Dissecting the Control of Flowering Time in Grasses Using Brachypodium distachyon ....Pages 259-273 Brachypodium as a Model for Grass and Cereal Diseases....Pages 275-290 Brachypodium and the Abiotic Environment....Pages 291-311 The Genus Brachypodium as a Model for Perenniality and Polyploidy....Pages 313-325 Brachypodium as an Arabidopsis for the Grasses: Are We There Yet?....Pages 327-341 Back Matter....Pages 343-353