Functional genomics is a young discipline whose origin can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when molecular tools became available to determine the cellular functions of genes. Today, functional genomics is p- ceived as the analysis, often large-scale, that bridges the structure and organi- tion of genomes and the assessment of gene function. The completion in 2000 of the genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana has created a number of new and exciting challenges in plant functional genomics. The immediate task for the plant biology community is to establish the functions of the approximately 25,000 genes present in this model plant. One major issue that will remain even after this formidable task is c- pleted is establishing to what degree our understanding of the genome of one model organism, such as the dicot Arabidopsis, provides insight into the or- nization and function of genes in other plants. The genome sequence of rice, completed in 2002 as a result of the synergistic interaction of the private and public sectors, promises to significantly enrich our knowledge of the general organization of plant genomes. However, the tools available to investigate gene function in rice are lagging behind those offered by other model plant systems. Approaches available to investigate gene function become even more limited for plants other than the model systems of Arabidopsis, rice, and maize.

Recent major advances in the field of comparative genomics and cytogenomics of plants, particularly associated with the completion of ambitious genome projects, have uncovered astonishing facets of the architecture and evolutionary history of plant genomes. The aim of this book was to review these recent developments as well as their implications in our understanding of the mechanisms which drive plant diversity. New insights into the evolution of gene functions, gene families and genome size are presented, with particular emphasis on the evolutionary impact of polyploidization and transposable elements. Knowledge on the structure and evolution of plant sex chromosomes, centromeres and microRNAs is reviewed and updated. Taken together, the contributions by internationally recognized experts present a panoramic overview of the structural features and evolutionary dynamics of plant genomes.This volume of Genome Dynamics will provide researchers, teachers and students in the fields of biology and agronomy with a valuable source of current knowledge on plant genomes.

This volume provides an overview of the current state of plant genomics using a number of different approaches at a time when we celebrate the completion of the Arabidopsis genome sequence and begin the transition from structural to functional studies of this and other plant genomes. Topics covered include comparative genomics, computational approaches to gene identification and annotation and data management, high throughput methodologies for functional analysis at the levels of transcript, protein and metabolite, and methods for genome modification by both homologous and site-specific recombination. The book will provide a good introduction to some of the many aspects of genomics both for established plant biologists who wish to understand this rapidly developing area and for scientists early in their careers. It is also very suitable for a one-semester course in Plant Genomics at the upper-level undergraduate/graduate student level, where the individual chapters provide a framework that can be readily expanded by use of some of the many articles in the bibliographies.

This detailed book presents recent methodologies for the task of inspecting the genomic world of plants, extracting valuable information, and presenting it in a readable way. With a focus on bioinformatics tools, the volume explores phylogenetics and evolution, Omics analysis, as well as experimental procedures for trait characterization. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include the kind of vital expert implementation advice that will lead to successful results. Authoritative and practical, Plant Comparative Genomics serves as an ideal resource for researchers looking to implement comparative tools in order to explore their genomic data for their daily scientific work.

Discover cutting-edge knowledge for engineering a more productive and environment-friendly agriculture! In Plant Functional Genomics, you’ll find a cross-section of state-of-the-art research on the biological function of plant genes and how they work together in health and disease. World-leading scientists in the field present breakthrough techniques, discuss the results of projects aimed at dissecting particular plant functions, and provide an overview on the state of functional genomics for several plant and plant-related species. With figures, tables, and illustrations, this book will help scientists, researchers, and advanced students in botany find new ways of creating novel plant forms to better serve the needs of a rapidly expanding human population. Plant Functional Genomics will increase your understanding of gene networks and systems rules, as well as gene expression during specific conditions or development or treatments. This important resource contains a wealth of data generated by various plant genome sequencing projects, including the newest results from experiments with Arabidopsis thaliana—the first plant to be completely sequenced. This book also contains innovative research on: T-DNA mutagenesis transcriptomics and metabolic profiling in plants large-scale yeast two-hybrid analyses the exceptional model system of Chlamydomonas genomics functional genomics in rice, maize, and Physcomitrella prospects for functional genomics in a new model grass chloroplast and plant mitochondrial proteomics plant transporters so much more Plant Functional Genomics will help speed up the identification and isolation of genes that might be of interest with respect to diverse biological questions. This valuable contribution to the field clarifies the challenges yet to be faced and the opportunities that could some day expand the frontiers of plant sciences.

This comprehensive reference covers the comparative methodologyinvolved in studying molecular evolution. Providing a practicalintroduction to the role of bioinformatics in comparative genomics,this publication further discusses the basic technology used ingenome sequencing projects and provides an overview of genomestorage databases currently in use. This timely and cutting-edge text also: Reviews the basic principles of genomics and gene expressionanalysis Discusses analytic methods in proteomics andtranscriptomics Includes a comprehensive list of Web resource

This volume provides technical insight on how genomics-oriented studies may be used to bring new understanding to established models of fungal development. The book helps to assess and solve problems associated with multiple copies of genes and proteins with seemingly identical functions and depicts various industrial applications. To bridge the in

Known members of the plant SABATH family of methyltransferases (MTs) have important biological functions by methylating hormones, signaling molecules and other metabolites. This dissertation aims to systematically investigate the biochemical and biological functions and evolution of SABATH genes in plants. The genomes of rice and poplar have been fully sequenced, which provides unprecedented opportunities for cross-species comparison of the SABATH family. Using a comparative genomic approach, 41 and 33 SABATH genes were identified in rice and poplar, respectively. The expression of these genes in different tissue was analyzed using RT-PCR approach and some genes highly expressed in multiple tissues were cloned. The cloned cDNAs were expressed in E. coli to produce enzymes. Recombinant proteins were tested with a large number of compounds for MT activities. In poplar, two proteins were determined to have MT activities with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and jasmonic acid (JA), respectively. Biochemical and gene expression evidence suggests that poplar IAMT (PtIAMT1) has an important role in poplar development through IAA methylation. Poplar JMT (PtJBMT1) shows high levels of expression at multiple tissues under normal conditions, and the expression of PtJBMT1 was slightly induced by wounding and methyl jasmonate treatment, suggesting it has a role in poplar development and defense. Two SABATH genes, IAMT (OsIAMT1) and BSMT (OsBSMT1), were identified in rice. The high level of OsIAMT1 transcripts in rice roots and panicles implies that OsIAMT1 is involved in root and panicle development. OsBSMT1 has MT activities with both salicylic acid and benzoic acid. The specific induction of OsBSMT1 by herbivory and enhanced emission of methylsalicylate support that it has a specific role in plant response to insects. The evolution of the SABATH gene family was also investigated based on the identified SABATH genes in plants using comparative genomics analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that IAMTs in Arabidopsis, rice and poplar are highly conserved, suggesting IAMTs are evolutionarily ancient. However, SAMTs in these plant species are divergent, indicating it is possible that SAMTs were evolved after the split of these plant lineages.

This book presents the basic and applied aspects of sequencing of genes and genomes and their implication in the fine-scale elucidation of the plant genomes. The third volume presents an overview on the advances of plant genomics made in the past century; deliberations on the genomics resources; concepts, tools, strategies, and achievements of