IWGSC Sequence Repository: Moving towards tools to facilitate data integration for the reference sequence of wheat

URGI is a genomics and bioinformatics research unit at INRA (French National institute for Agricultural Research), dedicated to plants and crop parasites. We develop and maintain a genomic and genetic Information System called GnpIS that manages multiple types of wheat data. Under the umbrella of the IWGSC (International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium), we have set up a Sequence Repository on the Wheat@URGI website to store, browse and BLAST the data being generated by the wheat genome project: http://wheat-urgi.versailles.inra.fr/Seq-Repository. The repository holds the wheat physical maps, the chromosome survey sequence data for the individual chromosomes of breadwheat, draft sequences for diploid and tetraploid wheats and provides browsable access to the BAC-based reference sequence for chromosome 3B, the first of the chromosomes to be completed by the consortium. I will highlight the new features and data available in the Sequence Repository (e.g., new BLAST functionalities) and, in particular, present what we have done to address needs and concerns raised during the IWGSC S&P workshop last year. In addition, I will open the discussion about the future needs for tools to facilitate the integration of data to produce the reference sequence

Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

Introduction: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated crop on Earth, contributing about a fifth of the total calories consumed by humans. Consequently, wheat yields and production affect the global economy, and failed harvests can lead to social unrest. Breeders continuously strive to develop improved varieties by fine-tuning genetically complex yield and end-use quality parameters while maintaining stable yields and adapting the crop to regionally specific biotic and abiotic stresses. Rationale: Breeding efforts are limited by insufficient knowledge and understanding of wheat biology and the molecular basis of central agronomic traits. To meet the demands of human population growth, there is an urgent need for wheat research and breeding to accelerate genetic gain as well as to increase and protect wheat yield and quality traits. In other plant and animal species, access to a fully annotated and ordered genome sequence, including regulatory sequences and genome-diversity information, has promoted the development of systematic and more time-efficient approaches for the selection and understanding of important traits. Wheat has lagged behind, primarily owing to the challenges of assembling a genome that is more than five times as large as the human genome, polyploid, and complex, containing more than 85% repetitive DNA. To provide a foundation for improvement through molecular breeding, in 2005, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium set out to deliver a high-quality annotated reference genome sequence of bread wheat. Results: An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in the form of 21 chromosome-like sequence assemblies has now been delivered, giving access to 107,891 high-confidence genes, including their genomic context of regulatory sequences. This assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage–related gene coexpression networks using a transcriptome atlas representing all stages of wheat development. The dynamics of change in complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. Aspects of the future value of the annotated assembly for molecular breeding and research were exemplarily illustrated by resolving the genetic basis of a quantitative trait locus conferring resistance to abiotic stress and insect damage as well as by serving as the basis for genome editing of the flowering-time trait. Conclusion: This annotated reference sequence of wheat is a resource that can now drive disruptive innovation in wheat improvement, as this community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding. Importantly, the bioinformatics capacity developed for model-organism genomes will facilitate a better understanding of the wheat genome as a result of the high-quality chromosome-based genome assembly. By necessity, breeders work with the genome at the whole chromosome level, as each new cross involves the modification of genome-wide gene networks that control the expression of complex traits such as yield. With the annotated and ordered reference genome sequence in place, researchers and breeders can now easily access sequence-level information to precisely define the necessary changes in the genomes for breeding programs. This will be realized through the implementation of new DNA marker platforms and targeted breeding technologies, including genome editing

IWGSC sequence repository : how to facilitate pseudomolecule assembly?

International audienc

A computational architecture designed for genome annotation: oak genome sequencing project as a use case

The ANR Genoak project aims to study the two key evolutionary processes that explain the remarkable diversity found within the oak genus. We performed anautomated structural annotation (transposable elements (TEs) and genes) and functional annotation of predicted genes using robust pipelines i/ REPET for TEs ii/Eugene for gene prediction iii/ FunAnnotPipe (in-house pipeline) mainly based on InterproScan for functional annotation. Further objectives were to: i/ integrate thewhole genome with all the features annotated into a Genome Browser, ii/ provide an interface for gene prediction curation/validation, and iii/ provide an informationsystem pointing towards accessibility and interoperability

The IWGSC Reference genome browser, data mining and beyond

International audienceURGI is a genomics and bioinformatics research unit at INRA (French National institute for Agricultural Research), dedicated to plants and crop parasites. We develop and maintain a genomic and genetic Information System called GnpIS that manages multiple types of wheat data. Under the umbrella of the IWGSC (International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium), we have set up a Sequence Repository on the Wheat@URGI website to store, browse and query the data being generated by the consortium: http://wheat-urgi.versailles.inra.fr/Seq-Repository. The repository holds the wheat physical maps and sequences, especially the gold standard IWGSC reference sequence of all the pseudomolecules. We set-up dedicated tools: a genome browser to display the reference sequence and his incoming annotations. a BLAST server to query the sequence and provide links to browsers. a InterMine datawarehouse to integrate the genomics data with genetics and phenomics data to go beyond

A computational architecture designed for genome annotation: oak genome sequencing project as a use case

The ANR Genoak project aims to study the two key evolutionary processes that explain the remarkable diversity found within the oak genus. We performed anautomated structural annotation (transposable elements (TEs) and genes) and functional annotation of predicted genes using robust pipelines i/ REPET for TEs ii/Eugene for gene prediction iii/ FunAnnotPipe (in-house pipeline) mainly based on InterproScan for functional annotation. Further objectives were to: i/ integrate thewhole genome with all the features annotated into a Genome Browser, ii/ provide an interface for gene prediction curation/validation, and iii/ provide an informationsystem pointing towards accessibility and interoperability

A chromosome-based draft sequence of the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome

La liste complète des auteurs et leurs affiliations sont disponibles à la fin de l'article - 96 collaborateurs : Mayer KF, Rogers J, Doležel J, Pozniak C, Eversole K, Feuillet C, Gill B, Friebe B, Lukaszewski AJ, Sourdille P, Endo TR, Kubaláková M, Cíhalíková J, Dubská Z, Vrána J, Sperková R, Simková H, Febrer M, Clissold L, McLay K, Singh K, Chhuneja P, Singh NK, Khurana J, Akhunov E, Choulet F, Alberti A, Barbe V, Wincker P, Kanamori H, Kobayashi F, Itoh T, Matsumoto T, Sakai H, Tanaka T, Wu J, Ogihara Y, Handa H, Maclachlan PR, Sharpe A, Klassen D, Edwards D, Batley J, Olsen OA, Sandve SR, Lien S, Steuernagel B, Wulff B, Caccamo M, Ayling S, Ramirez-Gonzalez RH, Clavijo BJ, Wright J, Pfeifer M, Spannagl M, Martis MM, Mascher M, Chapman J, Poland JA, Scholz U, Barry K, Waugh R, Rokhsar DS, Muehlbauer GJ, Stein N, Gundlach H, Zytnicki M, Jamilloux V, Quesneville H, Wicker T, Faccioli P, Colaiacovo M, Stanca AM, Budak H, Cattivelli L, Glover N, Pingault L, Paux E, Sharma S, Appels R, Bellgard M, Chapman B, Nussbaumer T, Bader KC, Rimbert H, Wang S, Knox R, Kilian A, Alaux M, Alfama F, Couderc L, Guilhot N, Viseux C, Loaec M, Keller B, Praud S.International audienceAn ordered draft sequence of the 17-gigabase hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome has been produced by sequencing isolated chromosome arms. We have annotated 124,201 gene loci distributed nearly evenly across the homeologous chromosomes and subgenomes. Comparative gene analysis of wheat subgenomes and extant diploid and tetraploid wheat relatives showed that high sequence similarity and structural conservation are retained, with limited gene loss, after polyploidization. However, across the genomes there was evidence of dynamic gene gain, loss, and duplication since the divergence of the wheat lineages. A high degree of transcriptional autonomy and no global dominance was found for the subgenomes. These insights into the genome biology of a polyploid crop provide a springboard for faster gene isolation, rapid genetic marker development, and precise breeding to meet the needs of increasing food demand worldwide

URGI plant and fungi platform: distributed resources through GMOD tools

International audienceNext Generation Sequencing technologies produce very large amount of data. Indeed, genomes are (re-)sequenced at high pace, and new sequences data are produced (eg. RNA-seq, Chip-seq). To face this challenge, the URGI ( http://urgi.versailles.inra.fr ) platform aims at providing tools for genomics, genetics, transcriptomics and polymorphisms comprising: pipelines, databases and user-friendly interfaces to analyze, browse and query the data. We will present plant and fungal genomic resources distributed through GMOD tools integrated in our Information System GnpIS.- Our genome module database (DB) components rely on the well-known schemas from the GMOD consortium. All annotation features and analysis results are primarily stored in the Chado or Bio::SeqFeature schema according to the need. Data can then be searched through GnpIS QuickSearch based on Apache Lucene™. Indexes are generated to query data stored in same or separate GMOD DBs. Query results are returned according to significance with terms, and linked to other GnpIS modules and/or Genome Report System (GRS). Biomart (GMOD) based datamarts were used as an advance search tool. Results of complex search criteria could be exported in different formats or directly send to our Galaxy server for further bioinformatic analysis.- We provide textual or graphical interfaces over the DBs such as GBrowse or Gbrowse_Syn to display sequence annotations or synteny respectively and Apollo for genes structure curation. The GRS provides comprehensive categories of reports through a user-friendly textual interface over structural and functional genomic data stored in Chado databases. - We also present the pipelines we developed for differential gene expression and polymorphism analysis available through our Galaxy server

Linking the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium bread wheat reference genome sequence to wheat genetic and phenomic data

DatabaseInternational audienceThe Wheat@URGI portal has been developed to provide the international community of researchers and breeders with access to the bread wheat reference genome sequence produced by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium. Genome browsers, BLAST, and InterMine tools have been established for in-depth exploration of the genome sequence together with additional linked datasets including physical maps, sequence variations, gene expression, and genetic and phenomic data from other international collaborative projects already stored in the GnpIS information system. The portal provides enhanced search and browser features that will facilitate the deployment of the latest genomics resources in wheat improvement

Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

Wheat is one of the major sources of food for much of the world. However, because bread wheat's genome is a large hybrid mix of three separate subgenomes, it has been difficult to produce a high-quality reference sequence. Using recent advances in sequencing, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium presents an annotated reference genome with a detailed analysis of gene content among subgenomes and the structural organization for all the chromosomes. Examples of quantitative trait mapping and CRISPR-based genome modification show the potential for using this genome in agricultural research and breeding. Ramírez-González et al. exploited the fruits of this endeavor to identify tissue-specific biased gene expression and coexpression networks during development and exposure to stress. These resources will accelerate our understanding of the genetic basis of bread wheat