Genetic researchers from around the world recently announced they had successfully read the entire genetic code for arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as thale cress. Although only a small weed, thale cress has already played important roles in several important genetic advances in plants and the full decoding of its genome promises even more advances.
According to the BBC, the work of decoding the genome took four years, cost upwards of $70 million and involved scientists working around the world in a massive collaborative effort.
Since thale cress is basically a small weed, it grows very quickly and has been an ideal plant for scientists to test ideas on how to genetically alter plants. Among other innovations first pioneered on the plant were methods of protecting wheat from diseases and genetic modifications that double the yield of oilseed rape.
According to Dr. Daphne Preuss of the University of Chicago, having the full genome available for study will further accelerate research involving the plant. “This landmark achievement,” she said, “means that every lab around the world working with Arabidopsis, as well as any other flowing plant, will be doing their science faster, easier and in a more thorough way.”
Dr. Ottoline Leyeser of New York University underscored the importance of the accomplishment by noting that in many ways it could prove even more important than the decoding of the human genome. “Plants are fundamental to all ecosystems in the world,” he said. “They are the energy inputs of those systems. But even if you take a human-centric view, the plant genome is still more important because far more people die from malnutrition than died from the diseases the human genome will help target.”
Source:
Little weed in science landmark. The BBC, December 13, 2000.