Project Number: 5325-21000-017-03
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Aug 01, 2007
End Date: May 31, 2012

Objective:
The objectives of the project are to 1) generate >7,500 insertional mutants in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon, 2) sequence DNA flanking >6,000 insertion sites and annotate the genes affected using the genomic sequence, and 3) establish a website where researchers could search the flanking sequence database and order knockouts in genes of interest.

Approach:
Using an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure we will create a collection of insertional mutants in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. To determine what gene is disrupted in each mutant, we will sequence DNA flanking the insertion site using the known sequence of the inserted DNA as a starting point. This collection will then be used to identify mutations in genes predicted to affect biomass quality and agronomic characteristics of energy crops. The mutant collection will be made publicly available through a BLAST searchable database to allow other researchers to identify knockouts in specific genes.