The Sorghum bicolor genome and the diversification of grasses.
Sorghum, an African grass related to sugar cane and maize, is grown for food, feed, fibre and fuel. We present an initial analysis of the approximately 730-megabase Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench genome, placing approximately 98% of genes in their chromosomal context using whole-genome shotgun sequence validated by genetic, physical and syntenic information. Genetic recombination is largely confined to about one-third of the sorghum genome with gene order and density similar to those of rice. Retrotransposon accumulation in recombinationally recalcitrant heterochromatin explains the approximately 75% larger genome size of sorghum compared with rice. Although gene and repetitive DNA distributions have been preserved since palaeopolyploidization approximately 70 million years ago, most duplicated gene sets lost one member before the sorghum-rice divergence. Concerted evolution makes one duplicated chromosomal segment appear to be only a few million years old. About 24% of genes are grass-specific and 7% are sorghum-specific. Recent gene and microRNA duplications may contribute to sorghum's drought tolerance.
Paterson
Andrew H
AH
Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA. paterson@uga.edu
Bowers
John E
JE
Bruggmann
Rémy
R
Dubchak
Inna
I
Grimwood
Jane
J
Gundlach
Heidrun
H
Haberer
Georg
G
Hellsten
Uffe
U
Mitros
Therese
T
Poliakov
Alexander
A
Schmutz
Jeremy
J
Spannagl
Manuel
M
Tang
Haibao
H
Wang
Xiyin
X
Wicker
Thomas
T
Bharti
Arvind K
AK
Chapman
Jarrod
J
Feltus
F Alex
FA
Gowik
Udo
U
Grigoriev
Igor V
IV
Lyons
Eric
E
Maher
Christopher A
CA
Martis
Mihaela
M
Narechania
Apurva
A
Otillar
Robert P
RP
Penning
Bryan W
BW
Salamov
Asaf A
AA
Wang
Yu
Y
Zhang
Lifang
L
Carpita
Nicholas C
NC
Freeling
Michael
M
Gingle
Alan R
AR
Hash
C Thomas
CT
Keller
Beat
B
Klein
Patricia
P
Kresovich
Stephen
S
McCann
Maureen C
MC
Ming
Ray
R
Peterson
Daniel G
DG
Mehboob-ur-Rahman
Ware
Doreen
D
Westhoff
Peter
P
Mayer
Klaus F X
KF
Messing
Joachim
J
Rokhsar
Daniel S
DS
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics; D006109:Poaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D032107:Populus / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics; D045868:Sorghum / Q000235:genetics*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics