200,000 Rice Mutants for Functional Genomics of Grasses

Although the complete rice genome sequence has been finished in 2002, scientists are yet to decode the functions of each of the crop's 50 000 thousand genes. To this end, rice researchers around the world are building an extensive repository of genetically modified rice plants, mostly loss-of-function mutants, to better understand the Oryza genome. Recently, the International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (IRFGC) made available to the public more than 200 000 rice mutant lines. These represent mutations in about half of the known functional genes mapped for rice to date.

The 200,000 rice mutant lines have been mapped genetically by the insertion of what are known as flanking sequence tags – small pieces of DNA or molecular tags that integrate into the rice genome. This approach is useful because it allows scientists to link a physical location on the genome to a specific gene and its visible feature or phenotype.

The mutant lines will also help scientists gain insights into the biology of corn, wheat and barley, since rice has been used as a model crop for research of other cereals.

For more information, read https://www.vbi.vt.edu/public_relations/press_releases/rice_lines_available_for_investigation The paper published by Plant Physiology is available to subscribers at http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/full/149/1/165 To learn more about the mutant lines, visit http://irfgc.irri.org/index.php