Comparative Genomics in Switchgrass Using 61,585 High-Quality Expressed Sequence Tags

Comparative Genomics in Switchgrass Using 61,585 High-Quality Expressed Sequence Tags Christian M. Tobias * , Gautam Sarath , Paul Twigg , Erika Lindquist , Jasmyn Pangilinan , Bryan W. Penning , Kerry Barry , Maureen C. McCann , Nicholas C. Carpita , and Gerard R. Lazo C.M. Tobias and G.R. Lazo, USDA-ARS, Western Regional Research Center, Genomics and Gene Discovery Unit, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA; G. Sarath, USDA-ARS, Grain, Forage, and Bioenergy Research Unit, Keim Hall, East Campus, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583; P. Twigg, Dep. of Biology, Univ. of Nebraska, 905 W. 25th St., Bruner Hall, Kearney, NE 68849; E. Lindquist, J. Pangilinan, and K. Barry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., 1 Cyclotron Rd., Mail Stop PGF, Berkeley, CA 94720; B.W. Penning and M.C. McCann, Dep. of Biological Sciences, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN 47907; N.C. Carpita, Dep. of Botany & Plant Pathology, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN 47907. Sequencing conducted at and supported through the Community Sequencing Program, DOE-Joint Genome Institute CSP-776898. All sequences have been submitted to the dbEST division of Genbank Accessions FE597478–FE659062. Abstract The development of genomic resources for switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.), a perennial NAD + -malic enzyme type C 4 grass, is required to enable molecular breeding and biotechnological approaches for improving its value as a forage and bioenergy crop. Expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing is one method that can quickly sample gene inventories and produce data suitable for marker development or analysis of tissue-specific patterns of expression. Toward this goal, three cDNA libraries from callus, crown, and seedling tissues of ‘Kanlow’ switchgrass were end-sequenced to generate a total of 61,585 high-quality ESTs from 36,565 separate clones. Seventy-three percent of the assembled consensus sequences could be aligned with the sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genome at a E -value of