The grapevine joins the other three plant species sequenced so far: thale cress (Arabidospis thaliana), rice and poplar. The project aiming at the characterization of the grapevine genome was launched in 2005 within a scientific cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture in France and the Ministry of Agriculture in Italy. It is coordinated by INRA and Genoscope in France and by CRA in Italy.
The public release of the grapevine sequence is both a fundamental accomplishment and a starting point for a deeper characterization of gene function. This is crucial for a better assessment of natural variation and its relevance to phenotypic variability, and the realization of applicative projects, aimed for instance at the development of grapevine resistant to diseases. This in turn will contribute to the much-needed reduction of fungicide and pesticide treatments and the development of a more sustainable agriculture.
The inbred line selected for the project, derived from Pinot Noir, was obtained at the INRA Research Centre of Colmar. The choice of this line allowed the French-Italian public consortium to obtain a very high quality sequence of approximately 480 million base-pairs, which unveiled some of the secrets of the constitution of the grapevine genome. The sequencing operation began in December 2005. Genoscope (Paris, France), IGA (Udine, Italy) and CRIBI (Padova, Italy) produced more than 6 million short genome fragments and the resources and expertise of all the partners (including Genoscope and INRA for France) were mobilized to analyse the sequence obtained.
Major results to understand the evolution of flowering plants
The comparative analysis of the grapevine genome and those of rice, poplar and Arabidopsis, has revealed the ancestral nature of the grapevine genome in comparison to the other plant species and has allowed researchers to get a glimpse of how a plant genome looked like in the progenitor of flowering plants.
Towards a better understanding of aromas in wines
A striking feature of the grapevine gene content is the existence of large families of genes related to wine flavour, which have a very high gene copy number. This is the case, for instance, for the genes coding for stilbene synthase, an enzyme which drives the synthesis of resveratrol, the compound responsible for the health benefits associated to a moderate consumption of wine. A similar situation is found for genes coding for enzymes involved in the synthesis of terpens and tannins, the major components of aromas, resins and essential oils.
The grapevine sequence is fully accessible to the world scientific community through public databases. The French-Italian public consortium has been offering complete access to its sequencing results since October 2006 through three public websites* whose browsers are intensively accessed by scientists worldwide.
This project was financed by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Consortium National de Recherche en Génomique, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, INRA, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (VIGNA-CRA), and Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia together with a consortium of private companies and banks (IGA).
*The French-Italian public consortium has been offering complete access to its sequencing results since October 2006 through three public websites: http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/vitis, http://www.vitisgenome.it/ and http://www.appliedgenomics.org
Reference:
“The grapevine genome sequence suggests ancestral hexaploidization in major angiosperm phyla”
Nature advance online publication 26 August 2007 | doi:10.1038/nature06148
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html
Olivier Jaillon1*, Jean-Marc Aury1*, Benjamin Noel1, Alberto Policriti2,3, Christian Clepet4, Alberto Casagrande2,5, Nathalie Choisne1,4, Sébastien Aubourg4, Nicola Vitulo6,15, Claire Jubin1, Alessandro Vezzi6,15, Fabrice Legeai7, Philippe Hugueney8, Corinne Dasilva1, David Horner9,15, Erica Mica9,15, Delphine Jublot4, Julie Poulain1, Clémence Bruyère4, Alain Billault1, Béatrice Segurens1, Michel Gouyvenoux1, Edgardo Ugarte1, Federica Cattonaro2, Véronique Anthouard1, Virginie Vico1, Cristian Del Fabbro2,3,Michaël Alaux7, Gabriele Di Gaspero2,5,Vincent Dumas8,Nicoletta Felice2,5, Sophie Paillard4, Irena Juman2,5, Marco Moroldo4, Simone Scalabrin2,3, Aurélie Canaguier4, Isabelle Le Clainche4, Giorgio Malacrida6,15, Eléonore Durand7, Graziano Pesole10,11,15,Valérie Laucou12, Philippe Chatelet13, Didier Merdinoglu8, Massimo Delledonne14,16, Mario Pezzotti15,16, Alain Lecharny4, Claude Scarpelli1, François Artiguenave1, M. Enrico Pè9,16, Giorgio Valle6,16, Michele Morgante2,5, Michel Caboche4, Anne-Françoise Adam-Blondon4, Jean Weissenbach1, Francis Quétier1 & Patrick Wincker1
1 Genoscope and CNRS UMR 8030, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, BP5706, 91057 Evry, France;
2 Istituto di Genomica Applicata, Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico di Udine, Via Linussio 51, 33100 Udine, Italy;
3 Dipartimento di Matematica ed Informatica, Universita degli Studi di Udine, via delle Scienze 208, 33100 Udine, Italy
4 URGV, UMR INRA 1165, CNRS-UEVE Génomique Végétale, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, BP5708, 91057 Evry cedex, France;
5 Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie ed Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Udine, via delle Scienze 208, 33100 Udine, Italy;
6 CRIBI, Universita degli Studi di Padova, viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy
7 URGI, UR1164 Génomique Info, 523, Place des Terrasses, 91034 Evry Cedex, France;
8 UMR INRA 1131, Université de Strasbourg, Santé de la Vigne et Qualité du Vin, 28 rue de Herrlisheim, BP20507, 68021 Colmar, France;
9 Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Universita degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy;
10 Dipartimento di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, Universita` degli Studi di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy;
11 Istituto Tecnologie Biomediche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Amendola 122/D, 70125 Bari, Italy;
12 UMR INRA 1097, IRD-Montpellier SupAgro-Univ. Montpellier II, Diversité et Adaptation des Plantes Cultivées, 2 Place Pierre Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France
13 UMR INRA 1098, IRD-Montpellier SupAgro-CIRAD, Développement et Amélioration des Plantes, 2 Place Pierre Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France
14 Dipartimento Scientifico e Tecnologico, Universita degli Studi di Verona Strada Le Grazie 15 – Ca Vignal, 37134 Verona, Italy;
15 Dipartimento di Scienze, Tecnologie e Mercati della Vite e del Vino, Universita degli Studi di Verona, via della Pieve, 70 37029 S. Floriano (VR), Italy;
16 VIGNA-CRA Initiative; Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Biologia Molecolare delle Piante, c/o Universita degli Studi di Siena, via Banchi di Sotto 55, 53100 Siena, Italy.
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