Researchers use the Genome Sequencer System to sequence and assemble the Pinot Noir Genome

03-Jan-2008

454 Life Sciences, a part of Roche Applied Science, announced that researchers from the Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige and Myriad Genetics have used the company's first generation instrument, the Genome Sequencer 20 System, to sequence and assemble the genome of the grape species Pinot Noir Noir. 454 Sequence data was used in conjunction with Sanger data to produce an assembled genome of 477 million bases in length with 29,585 predicted genes. The study appeared in the journal PLoS ONE.

Pinot Noir is a red wine grape from the species Vitis vinifera and is one of the most popular varietals in the world. The red grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France, but is also widely grown in many regions throughout the world. The Grapevine Genome Initiative was established with the aim of accelerating the breeding of this difficult perennial species. The Pinot Noir genome sequence will aid growers breed grapes for resistance against aggressive micro-organisms, which are currently controlled by massive use of agrochemicals, without altering wine quality.

The Pinot noir genome was assembled into 2,093 metacontigs which spanned 477.1 million nucleotides, anchored to 19 linkage groups. 29,585 genes were predicted from the sequence with many candidate genes implicated in traits relevant to grapevine cultivation such as those influencing wine quality and those connected with susceptibility to grape pathogens. approximately 2,000,000 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified with one or more SNPs detected in 87% of genes. Furthermore, the study describes the genome content in repeats and transposons, miRNAs, tRNAs, snRNAs, rRNAs, snoRNAs, and transcription factor genes.

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