pankaj's blog

Chan et al, doi:10.1038/nbt.1674, published a draft genome of oilseed species Ricinus communis commonly called as castor bean. They found that many of the key genes involved in oil synthesis are single copy genes.

Sequencing of the brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye genome by Cock et. al. was published today in the journal Nature. Found in the rocky coastal environments, the brown algae possess a complex physiology and adaptation qualities. Of particular interest is the extended list of genes responsible for light harvesting and a new metabolic pathway on halide metabolism. In chemical terms 'halogen' is referred to ions such as fluorine, chlorine, iodine, or bromine.

From The Terra Magazine, Spring 2010 Titled 'Tools of the Trade'. Gramene database spurs quiet revolution in crop genetics. Read the full story...

A student from my BOT331 Plant Physiology class pointed me to this AP news and video. I am sharing the same with you with additional writeup.

Here's a beautiful talk on crop genetic diversity and its preservation by Cary Fowler. Enjoy !

A publication by Schnable et al. reported today in the journal Science 2009, Vol. 326. no. 5956, pp. 1112-1115 the draft sequence of the maize B73 genome. 2.3Gb genome size is predicted to have over 32,000 genes. The genome data is released from the project website www.maizesequence.org.