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ESTs; gene tagging; genome; mutant; transposon; Z. mays
Abstract:
Owing to its economic importance, and its vigorously active transposable elements, maize has been a focus of interest for plant biologists for many decades. From its early role as a model for the analysis of plant transposons and for gene tagging, maize has, like Arabidopsis and rice, recently become the focus of genomic sequencing projects. In this review current initiatives aimed at analyzing the function and organization of the maize genome on a large scale are highlighted. The potential benefits of maize genomics are compared with those expected of the comparable undertakings in other model plant species. For several aspects of plant biology, such as C4-type photosynthesis, plastid development, and root development, maize is the species of choice for a functional genomics approach. Sequencing of gene-rich regions (gene galaxies) or even the entire genome will provide the basis for the large-scale cloning and analysis of maize genes, as well as for comparative genomics. It also will be an exceptional opportunity to develop and validate new and advanced technologies for the analysis of other complex genomes.
