The genomics era is viewed as the Third Revolution after the Industrial Revolution and the computer-based revolutions. Currently the most critical challenge in this era is the development of efficient strategies for functional analyses of genes sequenced or to be sequenced from model organisms. This Phase I project focuses on developing a novel strategy that can be easily and efficiently used to generate a large population of transposon insertion lines in the model plant Arabidopsis. These lines will provide the most powerful and efficient tool for gene function probing and identification of genes useful for improving human nutrition and environment and for producing novel pharmaceuticals. A functional genomics approach based on the established combined properties of T-DNA and Ds transposon insertions will be developed. Ds will be introduced into Arabidopsis via random T-DNA insertions into the genome. Ds will then be remobilized to transpose locally leading to saturation insertional mutagenesis in the genome. This approach will allow rapid functional analyses of specific or all genes in any defined region of the Arabidopsis genome. The objectives of this Phase I research are to design and to test the feasibility of an easy and efficient novel method to identify remobilized Ds useful for gene functional analyses. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This proposed functional genomics approach will have significant commercial applications. The novel selection procedure will be patented, and the Ds insertion lines will be utilized by researchers to study the function of specific genes or licensed to biotechnology industries to identify genes with pharmaceutical, environmental and agricultural values.
