Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium distachyon, commonly called Purple False Brome, is a grass species native to southern Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia east to India. It is related to the major cereal grain species wheat, barley, oats, maize, rice, rye, sorghum, and millet. It has many qualities that make it an excellent model organism for functional genomics research in temperate grasses, cereals, and dedicated biofuel crops such as switchgrass. These attributes include small genome (~300-320 Mbp) diploid accessions, a series of polyploid accessions, a small physical stature, self-fertility, a short lifecycle, simple growth requirements, and an efficient transformation system.

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Model organism

Although Brachypodium distachyon has little or no direct agricultural significance, it has several advantages as an experimental model organism for understanding the genetic, cellular and molecular biology of temperate grasses. The relatively small size of its genome makes it useful for genetic mapping and sequencing. At about 300-320 million base pairs and with five chromosomes, it has a small genome for a grass species. Brachypodium distachyon's small size and rapid life cycle are also advantages. For early-flowering accessions it takes about three weeks from germination to flower. The small size of some accessions makes it convenient for cultivation in a small space. As a weed it grows easily without specialized growing conditions.

Brachypodium is emerging as a powerful model with a growing research community. The International Brachypodium Initiative (IBI) held its first genomics meeting and workshop at the PAG XIV conference in San Diego, California in January 2006. The goal of the IBI is to promote the development of B. distachyon as a model system and will develop and distribute genomic, genetic, and bioinformatics resources such as reference genotypes, BAC libraries, genetic markers, mapping populations, and a genome sequence database. Besides researchers already working with B. distachyon, other plant research communities will benefit from the availability of these resources.

References

• P. Olsen, I. Lenk, C.S. Jensen, K. Petersen, C.H. Andersen, T. Didion, K.K. Nielsen. Analysis of two heterologous flowering genes in Brachypodium distachyon demonstrates its potential as a grass model plant. Plant Science. In Press.
• Robert Hasterok, Agnieszka Marasek, Iain S. Donnison, Ian Armstead, Ann Thomas, Ian P. King, Elzbieta Wolny, Dominika Idziak, John Draper, and Glyn Jenkins. Alignment of the genomes of Brachypodium distachyon and temperate cereals and grasses using BAC landing with fluorescent in situ hybridization. Genetics: Published Articles Ahead of Print, published on February 19, 2006 as 10.1534/genetics.105.049726.
• John P. Vogel, David F. Garvin, Oymon M. Leong, Daniel M. Hayden. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and inbred line development in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture. 11 January, 2006.
• Christiansen P, Andersen CH, Didion T, Folling M, Nielsen KK. A rapid and efficient transformation protocol for the grass Brachypodium distachyon. Plant Cell Rep. 2005 Mar 23(10-11): 751-8. Epub 2004 Oct 19.
• Kjeld C. Engvild. Mutagenesis of the Model Grass Brachypodium distachyon with Sodium Azide. Riso National Laboratory, March 2005.
• Hasterok R, Draper J, Jenkins G. (2004). Laying the cytotaxonomic foundations of a new model grass, Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. Chromosome Res. 12 (4): 397-403.
• Routledge, APM, Shelley, G, Smith, JV, Talbot, NJ, Draper, J & Mur, LAJ (2004). Magnaporthe grisea interactions with the model grass Brachypodium distachyon closely resemble those with rice (Oryza sativa). Molecular Plant Pathology 5 (4): 253-265.
• Mur LAJ, XU R, Casson SA, Stoddart WM, Routledge APM AND Draper J. Characterization of a proteinase inhibitor from Brachypodium distachyon suggests the conservation of defence signalling pathways between dicotyledonous plants and grasses. Molecular Plant Pathology 5 (4): 267-280.
• Draper J, Mur LA, Jenkins G, Ghosh-Biswas GC, Bablak P, Hasterok R, Routledge AP. (2001). Brachypodium distachyon. A new model system for functional genomics in grasses. Plant Physiol. 127 (4): 1539-55.
• Catalán P and Olmstead RG. (2000). Phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus Brachypodium P. Beauv. (Poaceae) from combined sequences of chloroplast ndhF gene and nuclear ITS. Plant Systematics and Evolution 220: 1-19.
• Catalan P, Shi Y, Armstrong L., Draper J, Stace CA. (1995). Molecular phylogeny of the grass genus Brachypodium p-beauv based on RFLP and RAPD analysis. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 117: 263-280.
• Bablak P, Draper J, Davey MR., Lynch, PT. (1995). Plant regeneration and micropropagation of Brachypodium distachyon. Plant Cell and organ culture 97: 107.
• Hsiao C, Chatterton NJ, Asay KH, Jensen KB. (1994). Phylogenetic relationships of 10 grass species: an assessment of phylogenetic utility of the internal transcribed spacer region in nuclear ribosomal DNA in monocots. Genome 37 (1): 112-20.
• Shi Y, Draper J, & Stace C. (1993). Ribosomal DNA variation and its phylogenetic implication in the genus Brachypodium (Poaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 188: 125-138.