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Advanced Genetic Technologies, KY
C.L. Schardl
Department of Plant Pathology
Non-Technical Summary
The genome of an organism represents the total of all genes, which are encoded in the base sequences of DNA of that organism. In order for a gene to be expressed, it must first be transcribed into RNA molecules, each similar in sequence to a DNA segment. Then, the RNAs are spliced and processed into mRNAs, which are then translated to give functional proteins. The entire set of mRNAs in a cell, tissue or organism is called its transcriptome. Analysis of whole-transcriptome sequence is key to understanding how genomes direct the organism's form, development, behavior, and responses to the environment. New technologies such as pyrosequencing have greatly increased DNA sequencing rates and reduced costs.
In this study, several strategies will be tested for pyrosequencing of transcriptomes. Once these protocols are refined, they will be applied to various organisms of relevance to agricultural research, including plants, insects, and various pathogens and parasites. The results will serve as preliminary data for competitively funded research programs.