Multinational Brassica Genome Project Research Articles

한국 배추 기능유전체 연구의 현황

식물생명공학 분야에 있어 기능유전체 연구는 식물체가 지니고 있는 유용한 유전자의 생물학적 기능을 밝히고, 농업적 유용성을 확보하여 가치를 부여하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 배추는 우리나라 대표 음식 중의 하나인 김치의 주원료이며 식품영양학적으로도 우수성이 인정되었고 약 5만 ha에서 연간 약 250만 톤이 생산되어 1조원의 국내 시장 및 1억 달러의 수출액을 기록하는 경제작물이다. 그리고 우리나라가 주요 종자수출국의 위치를 차지하고 있어 재배에 있어서나 경제적, 상업적으로 그 중요성이 매우 높은 작물이다. Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP)가 시작되고 배추와 같은 속에 속하는 애기장대의 전 염기서열 분석이 완료됨으로써 배추의 기능유전체 연구가 더욱 활발해 질 수 있는 환경이 마련되었다. 또한 유전자 기능 분석 연구에 필요한 새로운 기술들이 계속 개발되고 있으며 우리나라를 선두로 하여 국제적으로도 연구가 이루어져 해마다 많은 성과들이 보고되고 있다. 본 총설에서는 기능유전체 연구의 첫 단계인 배추 돌연변이체 유기 방법을 시작으로 다양한 표현형의 돌연변이체를 소개하고 이 돌연변이 배추의 게놈내 flanking DNA 분석 및 유전자 동정, microarray를 이용한 유전자 분석, 대표적인 기능유전체 연구 사례를 제시하고자 하였다. The purpose of functional genome research is to identify biological function of useful gene and to give an agricultural value in plant biotechnology. Brassica rapa is an economic crop which recorded 1,000 billion won of domestic market and 100 million dollar of exports and it produces 2.5 million ton in 50,000 ha as a major ingredient of representative Korean food, Kimchi. Furthermore, it is very important crop economically and commercially because Korea is major seed exporter. The fact that Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP) was launched and Arabidopsis thaliana, affiliated to same genus with B. rapa, has been fully sequenced activated functional genome research of B. rapa. Besides new technologies related to gene function analysis keep developing, many results are reporting every year by international research including Korea. This review paper introduces development of Chinese cabbage mutants which is a first step in functional genome research, variant phenotypes of mutants, flanking DNA analysis in B. rapa genome, gene identification, gene analysis using microarray, and representative researches.

배추 유전체열구의 현황과 전망

유전체 연구란 목적하는 유전체의 구조를 밝히고 가지고 있는 모든 유전자의 기능 및 진화과정을 망라하여 이해하고자 하는 것이다. 계통발생학상 애기장대와 연관되어 있는 Brassica rapa는 채소, 유지 및 사료로 이용되는 중요한 작물의 하나이다. Brassica rapa의 유전체 연구를 착수하는 데는 적합한 유전학적 재료 및 유전체 재료가 있어야 한다. 우리는 배추 (Brassica rapa spp. pekinensis)를 재료로 하여 표준 mapping 집단을 개발하여, 78계통으로 구성된 DH집단과 약 250 계통으로 구성된 RI집단을 개발하였다. 2가지 제한효소 (HintIII, BamHI)를 이용해 세균인공염색체 (BAC) library (KBrH, KBrB)를 만들었고, 이들은 각각 56,592개와 50,688개의 클론으로 구성되어 있다. 또한 배추의 각기 다른 부위를 이용하여 만든 22가지의 cDNA library를 이용하여 평균 575bp의 길이를 가지는 104,914개의 EST 분석을 실시 하였다. 세계적으로 'Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP)' 조직이 구성되었고 배추의 전 염기서열 분석을 하기로 2003년 결정되었다. 그 첫 단계로 104,914개의 BAC 클론의 BAC-end 염기서열분석이 제안되어 2006년 9월 5개국 공동 프로젝트로 추진하여 완성하게 되었다. 이러한 BAC-end 염기서열분석의 결과는 유전자의 염기서열 해석, 및 풍부하게 존재하는 반복염기서열 DNA를 분석함으로써 배추의 유전체 구조를 이해할 수 있는 실마리를 주었다. BAC 클론의 전체 염기서열분석은, 비록 단편 내에 유전자의 결실이 변화무쌍하게 일어나지만 배추 DNA 단편이 유전체에서 광범위하게 삼중복으로 존재함을 나타냈다. 이러한 BAC-end 염기서열을 아기장대 염기서열에 비교하여 629개의 종자 BAC을 선정하게 되었고, 이들의 염기서열 분석을 완성하였다. MBGP에서는2단계로서 배추의 전 유전체 염기서열 분석을 추진하게 되었고, 유전자지도에 위치한 종자 BAC을 이용하여 인접한 BAC 클론을 찾아 염기서열 분석하는 BAC-to-BAC 방법을 추진하고 있으며 8개국에서 참여하여 현재 염기서열 분석을 추진 중 이다. 최근에 각 국에서는 생물정보학기법을 활용한 염기서열 분석 기반에 대하여 많은 토론이 진행되고 있다. 앞으로 다양한 유전체 정보가 축적됨에 따라 배추의 유전체 구조를 이해하고 농업적으로 적용하고자 하는데 기여를 할 것이다. Brassica rape is an important species used as a vegetable, oil, and fodder worldwide. It is related phylogenically to Arabidopsis thaliana, which has already been fully sequenced as a model plant. The 'Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP)'was launched by the international Brassica community with the aim of sequencing the whole genome of B. rapa in 2003 on account of its value and the fact that it has the smallest genome among the diploid Brassica. The genome study was carried out not only to know the structure of genome but also to understand the function and the evolution of the genes comprehensively. There are two mapping populations, over 1,000 molecular markers and a genetic map, 2 BAC libraries, physical map, a 22 cDHA libraries as suitable genomic materials for examining the genome of B. rapa ssp. pekinensis Chinese cabbage. As the first step for whole genome analysis, 220,000 BAC-end sequences of the KBrH and KBrB BAC library are achieved by cooperation of six countries. The results of BAC-end sequence analysis will provide a clue in understanding the structure of the genome of Brassica rapa by analyzing the gene sequence, annotation and abundant repetitive DHA. The second stage involves sequencing of the genetically mapped seed BACs and identifying the overlapping BACs for complete genome sequencing. Currently, the second stage is comprises of process genetic anchoring using communal populations and maps to identify more than 1,000 seed BACs based on a BAC-to-BAC strategy. For the initial sequencing, 629 seed BACs corresponding to the minimum tiling path onto Arabidopsis genome were selected and fully sequenced. These BACs are now anchoring to the genetic map using the development of SSR markers. This information will be useful for identifying near BAC clones with the seed BAC on a genome map. From the BAC sequences, it is revealed that the Brassica rapa genome has extensive triplication of the DNA segment coupled with variable gene losses and rearrangements within the segments. This article introduces the current status and prospective of Korea Brassica Genome Project and the bioinformatics tools possessed in each national team. In the near future, data of the genome will contribute to improving Brassicas for their economic use as well as in understanding the evolutional process.

ANALYSIS OF THE BRASSICA ´A´ AND ´C´ GENOMES AND COMPARISON WITH THE GENOME OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA

The growing availability of Brassica genomic sequence data presents the opportunity of conducting a detailed analysis into the relationships between the Brassica A and C genomes as well as a comparison between these two Brassica genomes and the complete genome sequence of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Through the Multinational Brassica Genome Project, there are a growing number of Brassica rapa (A genome) BAC end sequences being produced, with the aim of delivering the end sequences of 110,000 BACs by 2005. We have developed a computational tool for the comparative mapping of these Brassica BACs onto the Arabidopsis genome. The tool electronically maps BACs onto Arabidopsis by aligning the end sequences for each BAC with regions of the Arabidopsis genome sequence, followed by filtering for BAC ends aligning in an inverse orientation within a specified genomic distance (<500,000 bp). Furthermore, we have compared the publicly available B. oleracea (C genome) shotgun sequences both with the Arabidopsis genome and the B. rapa BAC end sequences. An analysis of the resulting data provides the opportunity to identify regions of conservation between the three genomes, regions of gene duplication, as well as regions of conserved synteny between B. rapa and Arabidopsis. The results provide an insight into the comparative structure of the three genomes and assist in the efficient selection of candidate B. rapa BACs to be sequenced as part of the Multinational Brassica Genome Project.

INTEGRATING AND INTERROGATING DIVERSE BRASSICA DATA WITHIN AN ENSEMBL STRUCTURED DATABASE

There is a vast quantity of data being produced by Brassica researchers throughout the world. Genomic data include gene or Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) sequences and genomic sequences from bacterial artificial chromosomes and whole genome shotgun approaches. Associated gene expression or transcriptome data are being produced using various formats of microarray, Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) and Massively Parallel Signal Sequencing (MPSS). Molecular marker data such as Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are providing insights into genetic structure and genetic diversity as well as inherited traits within Brassica species. Phenotypic data are also increasing in complexity through the characterisation of broad diverse germplasm collections and the development of advanced techniques in proteomics and metabolomics. There is a significant challenge in bringing this diverse set of data together in an integrated bioinformatics platform to permit interrogation across these broad fields. The most advanced genome database structure currently available uses the EnsEMBL format. EnsEMBL permits both broad data integration, comparative analysis between related organisms and efficient data interrogation. We have established a Brassica-centric EnsEMBL database founded on the current Arabidopsis thaliana EnsEMBL database, incorporating tracks for Brassica genes, genomic sequences and molecular markers. This database is publicly available to the Brassica research community and can be used as the foundation of a Brassica based EnsEMBL database on completion of the B. rapa genome sequencing under the Multinational Brassica Genome Project.

Toward unraveling the structure of Brassica rapa genome

Genomic research in any organism encompasses understanding structure of the target genome and genes, their function, and evolution. Brassica rapa, which is phylogenetically related to Arabidopsis thaliana, is an important species with respect to its uses as vegetable, oil, and fodder. The availability of suitable genetic and genomic resources is a prerequisite to undertake genomic research in B. rapa. We have developed reference mapping populations of Chinese cabbage (B. rapa ssp. pekinensis) comprising 78 doubled haploid lines and over 250 recombinant inbred lines. Two Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) libraries, generated by restriction enzymes HindIII (KBrH) and BamHI (KBrB), comprise 56 592 and 50 688 clones, respectively. We have also constructed 22 cDNA libraries from different plant tissues consisting of 104 914 clones with an average length of 575 bp. Initial BAC‐end sequence analysis of 1473 clones of the KBrH library led us to understand the structure of B. rapa genome with respect to extent of genic sequences and their annotation, and relative abundance of different types of repetitive DNAs. Full‐length sequence analysis of BAC clones revealed extensive triplication of B. rapa DNA segments coupled with variable gene losses within the segments. The formulation of the ‘Multinational Brassica Genome Project’ has laid the foundation to sequence the complete genome of B. rapa ssp. pekinensis by the international Brassica research community. It has been proposed to undertake BAC‐to‐BAC sequencing of genetically mapped seed BACs. In recent years, development of bioinformatics tools in Brassica has given a boost to structural genomics research in Brassica species. The research undertaken with the availability of various genomic resources in the public domain has added to our understanding of the structure of B. rapa.

Computational tools for Brassica–Arabidopsis comparative genomics

Recent advances, such as the availability of extensive genome survey sequence (GSS) data and draft physical maps, are radically transforming the means by which we can dissect Brassica genome structure and systematically relate it to the Arabidopsis model. Hitherto, our view of the co-linearities between these closely related genomes had been largely inferred from comparative RFLP data, necessitating substantial interpolation and expert interpretation. Sequencing of the Brassica rapa genome by the Multinational Brassica Genome Project will, however, enable an entirely computational approach to this problem. Meanwhile we have been developing databases and bioinformatics tools to support our work in Brassica comparative genomics, including a recently completed draft physical map of B. rapa integrated with anchor probes derived from the Arabidopsis genome sequence. We are also exploring new ways to display the emerging Brassica–Arabidopsis sequence homology data. We have mapped all publicly available Brassica sequences in silico to the Arabidopsis TIGR v5 genome sequence and published this in the ATIDB database that uses Generic Genome Browser (GBrowse). This in silico approach potentially identifies all paralogous sequences and so we colour-code the significance of the mappings and offer an integrated, real-time multiple alignment tool to partition them into paralogous groups. The MySQL database driving GBrowse can also be directly interrogated, using the powerful API offered by the Perl Bio∷DB∷GFF methods, facilitating a wide range of data-mining possibilities.

The Korea Brassica Genome Project: A glimpse of the Brassica genome based on comparative genome analysis with Arabidopsis

A complete genome sequence provides unlimited information in the sequenced organism as well as in related taxa. According to the guidance of the Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP), the Korea Brassica Genome Project (KBGP) is sequencing chromosome 1 (cytogenetically oriented chromosome #1) of Brassica rapa. We have selected 48 seed BACs on chromosome 1 using EST genetic markers and FISH analyses. Among them, 30 BAC clones have been sequenced and 18 are on the way. Comparative genome analyses of the EST sequences and sequenced BAC clones from Brassica chromosome 1 revealed their homeologous partner regions on the Arabidopsis genome and a syntenic comparative map between Brassica chromosome 1 and Arabidopsis chromosomes. In silico chromosome walking and clone validation have been successfully applied to extending sequence contigs based on the comparative map and BAC end sequences. In addition, we have defined the (peri)centromeric heterochromatin blocks with centromeric tandem repeats, rDNA and centromeric retrotransposons. In-depth sequence analyses of five homeologous BAC clones and an Arabidopsis chromosomal region reveal overall co-linearity, with 82% sequence similarity. The data indicate that the Brassica genome has undergone triplication and subsequent gene losses after the divergence of Arabidopsis and Brassica. Based on in-depth comparative genome analyses, we propose a comparative genomics approach for conquering the Brassica genome. In 2005 we intend to construct an integrated physical map, including sequence information from 500 BAC clones and integration of fingerprinting data and end sequence data of more than 100 000 BAC clones. The sequences have been submitted to GenBank with accession numbers: 10 204 BAC ends of the KBrH library (CW978640–CW988843); KBrH138P04, AC155338; KBrH117N09, AC155337; KBrH097M21, AC155348; KBrH093K03, AC155347; KBrH081N08, AC155346; KBrH080L24, AC155345; KBrH077A05, AC155343; KBrH020D15, AC155340; KBrH015H17, AC155339; KBrH001H24, AC155335; KBrH080A08, AC155344; KBrH004D11, AC155341; KBrH117M18, AC146875; KBrH052O08, AC155342.

Brassica ASTRA: an integrated database for Brassica genomic research

Brassica ASTRA is a public database for genomic information on Brassica species. The database incorporates expressed sequences with Swiss-Prot and GenBank comparative sequence annotation as well as secondary Gene Ontology (GO) annotation derived from the comparison with Arabidopsis TAIR GO annotations. Simple sequence repeat molecular markers are identified within resident sequences and mapped onto the closely related Arabidopsis genome sequence. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) end sequences derived from the Multinational Brassica Genome Project are also mapped onto the Arabidopsis genome sequence enabling users to identify candidate Brassica BACs corresponding to syntenic regions of Arabidopsis. This information is maintained in a MySQL database with a web interface providing the primary means of interrogation. The database is accessible at http://hornbill.cspp.latrobe.edu.au.