Analysis of the bread wheat genome using whole-genome shotgun sequencing

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally important crop, accounting for 20 per cent of the calories consumed by humans. Major efforts are underway worldwide to increase wheat production by extending genetic diversity and analysing key traits, and genomic resources can accelerate progress. But so far the very large size and polyploid complexity of the bread wheat genome have been substantial barriers to genome analysis. Here we report the sequencing of its large, 17-gigabase-pair, hexaploid genome using 454 pyrosequencing, and comparison of this with the sequences of diploid ancestral and progenitor genomes. We identified between 94,000 and 96,000 genes, and assigned two-thirds to the three component…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: IOS-1032105, 0701916, 1032105, 0822100, 0923128
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• RS
  Royal Society
• UO
  University of Liverpool
• NI
  National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• BA
  Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

  Awards: BB/E004725/1, BB/G024650/1, BB/G013004/1, BB/G013004/1, BBS/E/T/000PR6193, BB/G013985/1, BB/H022333/1, BB/I02347X/1, BB/H022333/1