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John P Vogel - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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agrobacterium mediated transformation of Brachypodium distachyon
Current protocols in plant biology, 2019Co-Authors: Fengjuan Chen, John P Vogel, Qi LiuAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon is an excellent model system for the grasses and has been adopted as a research organism by many laboratories around the world. It has all of the biological traits required for a model system, including small stature, short life cycle, small genome, simple growth requirements, and a close relationship to major crop plants (cereals). In addition, numerous resources have been developed for working with this species, including genome sequences for many lines, sequenced mutant collections, and a large, freely available germplasm collection. Fortunately, among grasses B. distachyon is one of the most easily transformed species, an absolute necessity for a model system. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is the preferred method to transform plants because it usually results in simple insertions of target DNA. In this article, we describe a method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the inbred B. distachyon lines Bd21 and Bd21-3. Embryogenic callus induced from immature embryos is co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL1 or Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain 18r12v. Hygromycin and paromomycin are used as selective agents, with comparable transformation efficiencies (defined as the percentage of co-cultivated callus that produce transgenic plants) of 40% to 70%. It takes 20 to 30 weeks to obtain T1 seeds starting from the initial step of dissecting out immature embryos. This protocol has been shown to be efficient and facile in several studies that resulted in the creation of over 22,000 T-DNA mutants. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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genetic architecture of flowering time variation in Brachypodium distachyon
Plant Physiology, 2017Co-Authors: Daniel P. Woods, David F Garvin, John P Vogel, Ryland Bednarek, Frederic Bouche, Sean P Gordon, Richard M. AmasinoAbstract:The transition to reproductive development is a crucial step in the plant life cycle, and the timing of this transition is an important factor in crop yields. Here, we report new insights into the genetic control of natural variation in flowering time in Brachypodium distachyon, a nondomesticated pooid grass closely related to cereals such as wheat (Triticum spp.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). A recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between the rapid-flowering accession Bd21 and the delayed-flowering accession Bd1-1 were grown in a variety of environmental conditions to enable exploration of the genetic architecture of flowering time. A genotyping-by-sequencing approach was used to develop SNP markers for genetic map construction, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control differences in flowering time were identified. Many of the flowering-time QTLs are detected across a range of photoperiod and vernalization conditions, suggesting that the genetic control of flowering within this population is robust. The two major QTLs identified in undomesticated B. distachyon colocalize with VERNALIZATION1/PHYTOCHROME C and VERNALIZATION2, loci identified as flowering regulators in the domesticated crops wheat and barley. This suggests that variation in flowering time is controlled in part by a set of genes broadly conserved within pooid grasses.
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Brachypodium distachyon genotypes vary in resistance to Rhizoctonia solani AG8
Functional plant biology : FPB, 2016Co-Authors: Katharina Schneebeli, Jennifer N. Bragg, John P Vogel, Ulrike Mathesius, Alexander B. Zwart, Michelle WattAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon (L.)P.Beauv. (Bd) has previously been developed as a pathosystem model for the wheat root rot pathogen Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn anastomosis group 8 (AG8). Here we explore variation in resistance to R. solani AG8 in Bd, to determine whether genomic tools could be used to find Bd genes involved in the grass defence response, with the aim of using this information for the improvement of Rhizoctonia root rot resistance in wheat. We looked for variation in resistance to R. solani AG8 in a diverse Bd natural accession collection and in Bd T-DNA insertion lines selected based on putative mechanisms reported for tagged genes. All lines were susceptible to the pathogen. Repeatable and significant variation in resistance was measured in both groups, with greater variation in resistance found across the natural accessions than in the T-DNA lines. The widest and most repeatable variation in resistance was between lines Koz-3 and BdTR 13a. The ratio of R. solani AG8-inoculated to uninoculated root length for line Koz-3 was 33% greater than the same ratio for line BdTR 13a. The increased resistance of Koz-3 was associated with nodal root initiation in response to the pathogen. A negative correlation between seedling vigour and resistance was observed, but found not to be the sole source of variation in resistance to R. solani AG8. The only T-DNA line with significantly greater resistance to R. solani AG8 than the reference line had an insertion in a putative galactosyltransferase gene; however, this result needs further confirmation. Genetic resistance to Rhizoctonia root rot is not available in wheat cultivars and only a few instances of quantitative resistance to the pathogen have been described within close relatives of wheat. Brachypodium distachyon offers potential for further investigation to find genes associated with quantitative resistance and mechanisms of tolerance to R. solani AG8.
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Brachypodium distachyon and Setaria viridis: Model Genetic Systems for the Grasses.
Annual review of plant biology, 2015Co-Authors: Thomas P Brutnell, Jeffrey L. Bennetzen, John P VogelAbstract:The family of grasses encompasses the world's most important food, feed, and bioenergy crops, yet we are only now beginning to develop the genetic resources to explore the diversity of form and function that underlies economically important traits. Two emerging model systems, Brachypodium distachyon and Setaria viridis, promise to greatly accelerate the process of gene discovery in the grasses and to serve as bridges in the exploration of panicoid and pooid grasses, arguably two of the most important clades of plants from a food security perspective. We provide both a historical view of the development of plant model systems and highlight several recent reports that are providing these developing communities with the tools for gene discovery and pathway engineering.
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Brachypodium distachyon genomics for sustainable food and fuel production.
Current opinion in biotechnology, 2010Co-Authors: Michael W. Bevan, David F Garvin, John P VogelAbstract:Grass crops are the most important sources of human nutrition, and their improvement is centrally important for meeting the challenges of sustainable agriculture, for feeding the world's population and for developing renewable supplies of fuel and industrial products. We describe the complete sequence of the compact genome of Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) the first pooid grass to be sequenced. We demonstrate the many favorable characteristics of Brachypodium as an experimental system and show how it can be used to navigate the large and complex genomes of closely related grasses. The functional genomics and other experimental resources that are being developed will provide a key resource for improving food and forage crops, in particular wheat, barley and forage grasses, and for establishing new grass crops for sustainable energy production.
Yueming Yan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Molecular Characterization and Expression Profiling of NAC Transcription Factors in Brachypodium distachyon L.
PloS one, 2015Co-Authors: Gengrui Zhu, Guanxing Chen, Jiantang Zhu, Yan Zhu, Yueming YanAbstract:NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC2) transcription factors are involved in regulating plant developmental processes and response to environmental stresses. Brachypodium distachyon is an emerging model system for cereals, temperate grasses and biofuel crops. In this study, a comprehensive investigation of the molecular characterizations, phylogenetics and expression profiles under various abiotic stresses of the NAC gene family in Brachypodium distachyon was performed. In total, 118 BNAC genes in B. distachyon were identified, of which 22 (18.64%) were tandemly duplicated and segmentally duplicated, respectively. The Bayesian phylogenetic inference using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms showed that they were divided into two clades and fourteen subfamilies, supported by similar motif compositions within one subfamily. Some critical amino acids detected using DIVERGE v3.0 might contribute to functional divergence among subfamilies. The different exon-intron organizations among subfamilies revealed structural differentiation. Promoter sequence predictions showed that the BNAC genes were involved in various developmental processes and diverse stress responses. Three NAC domain-encoding genes (BNAC012, BNAC078 and BNAC108), orthologous of NAC1, were targeted by five miRNA164 (Bdi-miR164a-c, e, f), suggesting that they might function in lateral organ enlargement, floral development and the responses to abiotic stress. Eleven (~9.32%) BNAC proteins containing α-helical transmembrane motifs were identified. 23 representative BNAC genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, showing different expression patterns under various abiotic stresses, of which 18, 17 and 11 genes were up-regulated significantly under drought, H2O2 and salt stresses, respectively. Only four and two genes were up-regulated under cold and cadmium stresses, respectively. Dynamic transcriptional expression analysis revealed that six genes showed constitutive expression and period-specific expression. The current results provide novel insights into the structure and function of the plant NAC gene family.
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N-linked glycoproteome profiling of seedling leaf in Brachypodium distachyon L.
Journal of proteome research, 2015Co-Authors: Ming Zhang, Guanxing Chen, Yueming YanAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon L., a model plant for cereal crops, has become important as an alternative and potential biofuel grass. In plants, N-glycosylation is one of the most common and important protein modifications, playing important roles in signal recognition, increase in protein activity, stability of protein structure, and formation of tissues and organs. In this study, we performed the first glycoproteome analysis in the seedling leaves of B. distachyon. Using lectin affinity chromatography enrichment and mass-spectrometry-based analysis, we identified 47 glycosylation sites representing 46 N-linked glycoproteins. Motif-X analysis showed that two conserved motifs, N-X-T/S (X is any amino acid, except Pro), were significantly enriched. Further functional analysis suggested that some of these identified glycoproteins are involved in signal transduction, protein trafficking, and quality control and the modification and remodeling of cell-wall components such as receptor-like kinases, protein disulfide...
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Dynamic development of starch granules and the regulation of starch biosynthesis in Brachypodium distachyon : comparison with common wheat and Aegilops peregrina
BMC plant biology, 2014Co-Authors: Guanxing Chen, Jiantang Zhu, Jianwen Zhou, Saminathan Subburaj, Ming Zhang, Caixia Han, Pengchao Hao, Yueming YanAbstract:Background Thorough understanding of seed starch biosynthesis and accumulation mechanisms is of great importance for agriculture and crop improvement strategies. We conducted the first comprehensive study of the dynamic development of starch granules and the regulation of starch biosynthesis in Brachypodium distachyon and compared the findings with those reported for common wheat (Chinese Spring, CS) and Aegilops peregrina.
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Characterization of seed proteome in Brachypodium distachyon
Journal of Cereal Science, 2010Co-Authors: Ke Wang, Xiaofeng Han, Kun Dong, Liyan Gao, Yueming YanAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon, an emerging model plant system for some economically important temperate grasses such as wheat, barley and switchgrass, has recently caught wide attention in modern biological research. In the current study, the glutenin, albumin and globulin components of 13 B. distachyon accessions were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) followed by peptide mass finger printing (PMF) and MS/MS protein identification. Abundant wheat low molecular weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) like proteins and a few high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) with low expression level were detected in B. distachyon. A total of 18 storage proteins and 15 albumin proteins were identified through PMF and MS/MS. The results demonstrated that the major seed storage proteins in B. distachyon are wheat LMW-GS like proteins and globulins. The identified albumins and globulins were mostly various enzymes that were classified into five groups according to their functions. The 2-DE spot distribution and MS results suggested that post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as phosphorylations and glycosylations are common phenomena in B. distachyon seed proteome.
Richard M. Amasino - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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genetic architecture of flowering time variation in Brachypodium distachyon
Plant Physiology, 2017Co-Authors: Daniel P. Woods, David F Garvin, John P Vogel, Ryland Bednarek, Frederic Bouche, Sean P Gordon, Richard M. AmasinoAbstract:The transition to reproductive development is a crucial step in the plant life cycle, and the timing of this transition is an important factor in crop yields. Here, we report new insights into the genetic control of natural variation in flowering time in Brachypodium distachyon, a nondomesticated pooid grass closely related to cereals such as wheat (Triticum spp.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). A recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between the rapid-flowering accession Bd21 and the delayed-flowering accession Bd1-1 were grown in a variety of environmental conditions to enable exploration of the genetic architecture of flowering time. A genotyping-by-sequencing approach was used to develop SNP markers for genetic map construction, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control differences in flowering time were identified. Many of the flowering-time QTLs are detected across a range of photoperiod and vernalization conditions, suggesting that the genetic control of flowering within this population is robust. The two major QTLs identified in undomesticated B. distachyon colocalize with VERNALIZATION1/PHYTOCHROME C and VERNALIZATION2, loci identified as flowering regulators in the domesticated crops wheat and barley. This suggests that variation in flowering time is controlled in part by a set of genes broadly conserved within pooid grasses.
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Dissecting the Control of Flowering Time in Grasses Using Brachypodium distachyon
Genetics and Genomics of Brachypodium, 2015Co-Authors: Daniel P. Woods, Richard M. AmasinoAbstract:The timing of flowering is a critical life history trait that has been shaped over evolutionary time to maximize the ability to flower at a time that optimizes reproductive success. Furthermore, timing of flowering is one of many traits that has been manipulated by humans for increased crop productivity. It can be difficult to determine the molecular underpinnings controlling flowering in cereals due to their large complex genomes and larger stature. However, many attributes of Brachypodium distachyon makes it a useful model grass system to accelerate understanding of the genetic basis of flowering time in grasses. Here we will first discuss what is currently known about flowering in temperate grasses, which largely comes from studies of natural variation for flowering in wheat and barley, followed by some of the progress made in B. distachyon. We will then discuss practical considerations of flowering behavior when growing different accessions of B. distachyon for studies of other traits of interest.
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Memory of the vernalized state in plants including the model grass Brachypodium distachyon.
Frontiers in plant science, 2014Co-Authors: Daniel P. Woods, Thomas S. Ream, Richard M. AmasinoAbstract:Plant species that have a vernalization requirement exhibit variation in the ability to “remember” winter – i.e., variation in the stability of the vernalized state. Studies in Arabidopsis have demonstrated that molecular memory involves changes in the chromatin state and expression of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C, and have revealed that single-gene differences can have large effects on the stability of the vernalized state. In the perennial Arabidopsis relative Arabis alpina, the lack of memory of winter is critical for its perennial life history. Our studies of flowering behavior in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon reveal extensive variation in the vernalization requirement, and studies of a particular Brachypodium accession that has a qualitative requirement for both cold exposure and inductive day length to flower reveal that Brachypodium can exhibit a highly stable vernalized state.
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Natural variation of flowering time and vernalization responsiveness in Brachypodium distachyon.
BioEnergy Research, 2010Co-Authors: Christopher J. Schwartz, Mark R. Doyle, Antonio J. Manzaneda, Pedro J. Rey, Thomas Mitchell-olds, Richard M. AmasinoAbstract:Dedicated bioenergy crops require certain characteristics to be economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Perennial grasses, which can provide large amounts of biomass over multiple years, are one option being investigated to grow on marginal agricultural land. Recently, a grass species (Brachypodium distachyon) has been developed as a model to better understand grass physiology and ecology. Here, we report on the flowering time variability of natural Brachypodium accessions in response to temperature and light cues. Changes in both environmental parameters greatly influence when a given accession will flower, and natural Brachypodium accessions broadly group into winter and spring annuals. Similar to what has been discovered in wheat and barley, we find that a portion of the phenotypic variation is associated with changes in expression of orthologs of VRN genes, and thus, VRN genes are a possible target for modifying flowering time in grass family bioenergy crops.
Sébastien Antelme - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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LACCASE5 Is Required for Lignification of the Brachypodium distachyon Culm
Plant physiology, 2015Co-Authors: Yin Wang, Sébastien Antelme, Marion Dalmais, Oumaya Bouchabke-coussa, Philippe Lebris, Camille Soulhat, Emilie Gineau, Abdelafid Bendahmane, Halima Morin, Grégory MouilleAbstract:The oxidation of monolignols is a required step for lignin polymerization and deposition in cell walls. In dicots, both peroxidases and laccases are known to participate in this process. Here, we provide evidence that laccases are also involved in the lignification of Brachypodium distachyon, a model plant for temperate grasses. Transcript quantification data as well as in situ and immunolocalization experiments demonstrated that at least two laccases (LACCASE5 and LACCASE6) are present in lignifying tissues. A mutant with a misspliced LACCASE5 messenger RNA was identified in a targeting-induced local lesion in genome mutant collection. This mutant shows 10% decreased Klason lignin content and modification of the syringyl-to-guaiacyl units ratio. The amount of ferulic acid units ester linked to the mutant cell walls is increased by 40% when compared with control plants, while the amount of ferulic acid units ether linked to lignins is decreased. In addition, the mutant shows a higher saccharification efficiency. These results provide clear evidence that laccases are required for B. distachyon lignification and are promising targets to alleviate the recalcitrance of grass lignocelluloses.
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p-Coumaroyl-CoA:monolignol transferase (PMT) acts specifically in the lignin biosynthetic pathway in Brachypodium distachyon
Plant Journal, 2014Co-Authors: Deborah L. Petrik, Philippe Le Bris, Curtis G. Wilkerson, Steven D. Karlen, Cynthia L. Cass, Dharshana Padmakshan, Sarah Liu, Sébastien Antelme, Nicholas Santoro, Richard SiboutAbstract:Grass lignins contain substantial amounts of p-coumarate (pCA) that acylate the side-chains of the phenylpropanoid polymer backbone. An acyltransferase, named p-coumaroyl-CoA:monolignol transferase (OsPMT), that could acylate monolignols with pCA in vitro was recently identified from rice. In planta, such monolignol-pCA conjugates become incorporated into lignin via oxidative radical coupling, thereby generating the observed pCA appendages; however p-coumarates also acylate arabinoxylans in grasses. To test the authenticity of PMT as a lignin biosynthetic pathway enzyme, we examined Brachypodium distachyon plants with altered BdPMT gene function. Using newly developed cell wall analytical methods, we determined that the transferase was involved specifically in monolignol acylation. A sodium azide-generated Bdpmt-1 missense mutant had no (
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a tilling platform for functional genomics in Brachypodium distachyon
PLOS ONE, 2013Co-Authors: Marion Dalmais, Sébastien Antelme, Severine Hoyuekuang, Yin Wang, Olivier Darracq, Madeleine Bouvier DyvoireAbstract:The new model plant for temperate grasses, Brachypodium distachyon offers great potential as a tool for functional genomics. We have established a sodium azide-induced mutant collection and a TILLING platform, called "BRACHYTIL", for the inbred line Bd21-3. The TILLING collection consists of DNA isolated from 5530 different families. Phenotypes were reported and organized in a phenotypic tree that is freely available online. The tilling platform was validated by the isolation of mutants for seven genes belonging to multigene families of the lignin biosynthesis pathway. In particular, a large allelic series for BdCOMT6, a caffeic acid O-methyl transferase was identified. Some mutants show lower lignin content when compared to wild-type plants as well as a typical decrease of syringyl units, a hallmark of COMT-deficient plants. The mutation rate was estimated at one mutation per 396 kb, or an average of 680 mutations per line. The collection was also used to assess the Genetically Effective Cell Number that was shown to be at least equal to 4 cells in Brachypodium distachyon. The mutant population and the TILLING platform should greatly facilitate functional genomics approaches in this model organism.
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A TILLING platform for functional genomics in [i]Brachypodium distachyon[/i]
PLoS ONE, 2013Co-Authors: Marion Dalmais, Sébastien Antelme, Yin Wang, Olivier Darracq, Marie-séverine Ho-yue-kuang, Madeleine Bouvier D'yvoire, Laurent Cezard, Frédéric Legée, Eddy Blondet, Nicolas OriaAbstract:The new model plant for temperate grasses, Brachypodium distachyon offers great potential as a tool for functional genomics. We have established a sodium azide-induced mutant collection and a TILLING platform, called "BRACHYTIL", for the inbred line Bd21-3. The TILLING collection consists of DNA isolated from 5530 different families. Phenotypes were reported and organized in a phenotypic tree that is freely available online. The tilling platform was validated by the isolation of mutants for seven genes belonging to multigene families of the lignin biosynthesis pathway. In particular, a large allelic series for BdCOMT6, a caffeic acid O-methyl transferase was identified. Some mutants show lower lignin content when compared to wild-type plants as well as a typical decrease of syringyl units, a hallmark of COMT-deficient plants. The mutation rate was estimated at one mutation per 396 kb, or an average of 680 mutations per line. The collection was also used to assess the Genetically Effective Cell Number that was shown to be at least equal to 4 cells in Brachypodium distachyon. The mutant population and the TILLING platform should greatly facilitate functional genomics approaches in this model organism.
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Brachypodium distachyon as a model system for studying genes involved in cell wall synthesis
In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal, 2010Co-Authors: Oumaya Bouchabke-coussa, Richard Sibout, Sébastien Antelme, Marion Dalmais, Olivier Darracq, Madeleine Bouvier D'ivoire, Lise Jouanin, Brigitte Pollet, Catherine Lapierre, Catherine PannetierAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon was proposed as new model plant for grasses because of its small genome and its phylogenetic position between rice and Triticeae crops. Since, a range of genetic and genomic resources has been developed and the whole genome sequence is now available. We use Brachypodium as a model system for studying how to modify grass crops for increased biofuel production made from lignocellulosic cell walls. We are involved in developing many resources for Brachypodium: TILLING collection, natural accessions, different methods of phenotyping, and tools and method for gene transfer via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Some lignin mutants from the monolignol biosynthesis pathway were already identified by phenotyping and TILLING, and their functional analysis is underway notably through complementation by overexpression of concerned gene in mutant background. (Resume d'auteur)
John H. Doonan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Erratum to: Brachypodium distachyon: making hay with a wild grass: [Trends in Plant Science 13 (2008) 172–177]
Trends in Plant Science, 2014Co-Authors: Magdalena Opanowicz, Philippe Vain, John Draper, David A. Parker, John H. DoonanAbstract:In the Review article ‘Brachypodium distachyon: making hay with a wild grass’ by Magdalena Opanowicz, Philippe Vain, John Draper, David Parker, John H. Doonan, which was published in the April 2008 issue of Trends in Plant Science, the gene name ‘TFL’ was incorrectly written as ‘TLF’ in two places on page 176. The corrected sentence is:“Overexpression of LpTFL1 or TFL1 in transgenic Brachypodium plants resulted in a significant delay in flowering compared with that in controls [47].” The authors apologize for any inconvenience this error has caused.
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T-DNA mutagenesis in Brachypodium distachyon
Journal of experimental botany, 2011Co-Authors: Vera Thole, Antoine Peraldi, Barbara Worland, Paul Nicholson, John H. Doonan, Philippe VainAbstract:During the past decade, Brachypodium distachyon has emerged as an attractive experimental system and genomics model for grass research. Numerous molecular tools and genomics resources have already been developed. Functional genomics resources, including mutant collections, expression/tiling microarray, mapping populations, and genome re-sequencing for natural accessions, are rapidly being developed and made available to the community. In this article, the focus is on the current status of systematic T-DNA mutagenesis in Brachypodium. Large collections of T-DNA-tagged lines are being generated by a community of laboratories in the context of the International Brachypodium Tagging Consortium. To date, >13 000 lines produced by the BrachyTAG programme and USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center are available by online request. The utility of these mutant collections is illustrated with some examples from the BrachyTAG collection at the John Innes Centre—such as those in the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) and brassinosteroid insensitive-1 (BRI1) genes. A series of other mutants exhibiting growth phenotypes is also presented. These examples highlight the value of Brachypodium as a model for grass functional genomics.
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Endosperm development in Brachypodium distachyon
Journal of experimental botany, 2010Co-Authors: Magdalena Opanowicz, John H. Doonan, Philip Hands, Donna Betts, Mary L. Parker, Geraldine A. Toole, E. N. Clare Mills, Sinéad DreaAbstract:Grain development and its evolution in grasses remains poorly understood, despite cereals being our most important source of food. The grain, for which many grass species have been domesticated, is a single-seeded fruit with prominent and persistent endosperm. Brachypodium distachyon, a small wild grass, is being posited as a new model system for the temperate small grain cereals, but little is known about its endosperm development and how this compares with that of the domesticated cereals. A cellular and molecular map of domains within the developing Brachypodium endosperm is constructed. This provides the first detailed description of grain development in Brachypodium for the reference strain, Bd21, that will be useful for future genetic and comparative studies. Development of Brachypodium grains is compared with that of wheat. Notably, the aleurone is not regionally differentiated as in wheat, suggesting that the modified aleurone region may be a feature of only a subset of cereals. Also, the central endosperm and the nucellar epidermis contain unusually prominent cell walls that may act as a storage material. The composition of these cell walls is more closely related to those of barley and oats than to those of wheat. Therefore, although endosperm development is broadly similar to that of temperate small grain cereals, there are significant differences that may reflect its phylogenetic position between the Triticeae and rice.
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Brachypodium distachyon: making hay with a wild grass
Trends in plant science, 2008Co-Authors: Magdalena Opanowicz, Philippe Vain, John Draper, David A. Parker, John H. DoonanAbstract:Brachypodium distachyon is a wild grass with a short life cycle. Although it is related to small grain cereals such as wheat, its genome is only a fraction of the size. A draft genome sequence is currently available, and molecular and genetic tools have been developed for transformation, mutagenesis and gene mapping. Accessions collected from across its ancestral range show a surprising degree of phenotypic variation in many traits, including those implicated in domestication of the cereals. Thus, given its rapid cycling time and ease of cultivation, Brachypodium will be a useful model for investigating problems in grass biology.