Plant Genomics

Plant genomics holds the promise of describing the entire genetic repertoire of plants. Ultimately, plant genomics may lead to the genetic modification of plants for optimal performance in different biological, ecological, and cultural environments for the benefit of humans and the environment.

Now that the genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been sequenced, plant scientists are faced with the daunting challenge of understanding what each of the ~25,000 genes of this model plant does and how these genes relate to those of other plant species, including crop plants.

The information derived from studies of plant genomics will help us understand how genes enable a plant to function, how the bewildering diversity of functions that distinguish plant species is related to simple changes in their genomes, and to what extent the structure, function, and evolution of plant genes show parallels in animals and microbes.

Cornell is an internationally recognized leader in the areas of genetic mapping, plant gene identification and quantitative trait analysis, plant evolution, molecular breeding, and plant genome database development, as well as plant molecular biology, pathology, and physiology. The Plant Genomics Focus Area - a partnership between the university, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, and two institutes located on campus, the Boyce Thompson Institute and the USDA/ARS, Plant Soil and Nutrition Laboratory - aims to ensure Cornell's position as a major player in the genomics revolution that is sweeping the plant sciences.

In the current phase of implementation of its strategic plan, the plant genomics focus area has concentrated on three major areas:

plant biochemistry, with an emphasis on deciphering the synthesis, accumulation, and function of primary and secondary metabolites;

plant diversity, with the goal of evaluating and preserving natural biodiversity, and
plant genome informatics in coordination with the Computational Genomics Focus Area, with the goal of developing plant genome databases and specialized software for comparative genomics and for mining the voluminous data generated by genomics research.

Major activities:
The Institute for Genomic Diversity (director: Steve Kresovich) was established for the study of the molecular diversity of plants and its preservation for exploitation in agriculture and (as a source of pharmaceutical and therapeutic compounds) for the benefit of human health.
The USDA Plant Genome Informatics USDA-ARS Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics unit houses the single largest cluster of plant genome databases in the country (including GrainGenes, RiceGenes, SolGEnes, CabbagePatch, RoseDB, and RiceBlastDB), and aims to integrate databases and develop effective tools for sequence-based comparisons.

Facilities:
Renovation of Emerson Hall as a Plant Genomics Center that will house new faculty in plant genomics.

Accomplishments
Cornell now has the leading public research/training program in plant proteomics
Cornell received a $1.6 million NYSTAR grant to further strengthen plant proteomics
Cornell is now recognized as a world leader in comparative plant genomics and in certain aspects of developmental plant biology