Soybean genomics research community strategic plan: A vision for 2024-2028.

This strategic plan summarizes the major accomplishments achieved in the last quinquennial by the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genetics and genomics research community and outlines key priorities for the next 5 years (2024-2028).

Data sharing and ontology use among agricultural genetics, genomics, and breeding databases and resources of the Agbiodata Consortium.

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a rapid growth in the number and scope of agricultural genetics, genomics and breeding databases and resources. The AgBioData Consortium (https://www.agbiodata.

Using Crop Databases to Explore Phenotypes: From QTL to Candidate Genes.

Seeds, especially those of certain grasses and legumes, provide the majority of the protein and carbohydrates for much of the world's population. Therefore, improvements in seed quality and yield are important drivers for the development of new crop varieties to feed a growing population. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) have been identified for many biologically interesting and agronomically important traits, including many seed quality traits.

Genetic variation among 481 diverse soybean accessions, inferred from genomic re-sequencing.

We report characteristics of soybean genetic diversity and structure from the resequencing of 481 diverse soybean accessions, comprising 52 wild (Glycine soja) selections and 429 cultivated (Glycine max) varieties (landraces and elites). This data was used to identify 7.8 million SNPs, to predict SNP effects relative to genic regions, and to identify the genetic structure, relationships, and linkage disequilibrium.

A new decade and new data at SoyBase, the USDA-ARS soybean genetics and genomics database.

SoyBase, a USDA genetic and genomics database, holds professionally curated soybean genetic and genomic data, which is integrated and made accessible to researchers and breeders. The site holds several reference genome assemblies, as well as genetic maps, thousands of mapped traits, expression and epigenetic data, pedigree information, and extensive variant and genotyping data sets. SoyBase displays include genetic, genomic, and epigenetic maps of the soybean genome.

Ten quick tips for sharing open genomic data.

As sequencing prices drop, genomic data accumulates-seemingly at a steadily increasing pace. Most genomic data potentially have value beyond the initial purpose-but only if shared with the scientific community. This, of course, is often easier said than done.

An ontology approach to comparative phenomics in plants.

Background: Plant phenotype datasets include many different types of data, formats, and terms from specialized vocabularies. Because these datasets were designed for different audiences, they frequently contain language and details tailored to investigators with different research objectives and backgrounds. Although phenotype comparisons across datasets have long been possible on a small scale, comprehensive queries and analyses that span a broad set of reference species, research disciplines, and knowledge domains continue to be severely limited by the absence of a common semantic framework.

Transcriptome analyses and virus induced gene silencing identify genes in the Rpp4-mediated Asian soybean rust resistance pathway.

Rpp4 (Resistance to Phakopsora pachyrhizi 4) confers resistance to Phakopsora pachyrhizi Sydow, the causal agent of Asian soybean rust (ASR). By combining expression profiling and virus induced gene silencing (VIGS), we are developing a genetic framework for Rpp4-mediated resistance. We measured gene expression in mock-inoculated and P.

Biphasic gene expression changes elicited by Phakopsora pachyrhizi in soybean correlate with fungal penetration and haustoria formation.

Inoculation of soybean (Glycine max) plants with Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the causal organism of Asian soybean rust, elicits a biphasic response characterized by a burst of differential gene expression in the first 12 h. A quiescent period occurs from 24 to 48 h after inoculation, in which P. pachyrhizi continues to develop but does not elicit strong host responses, followed by a second phase of intense gene expression.

Phenotypic and genomic analyses of a fast neutron mutant population resource in soybean.

Mutagenized populations have become indispensable resources for introducing variation and studying gene function in plant genomics research. In this study, fast neutron (FN) radiation was used to induce deletion mutations in the soybean (Glycine max) genome. Approximately 120,000 soybean seeds were exposed to FN radiation doses of up to 32 Gray units to develop over 23,000 independent M2 lines.

Gene expression patterns are correlated with genomic and genic structure in soybean.

Studies have indicated that exon and intron size and intergenic distance are correlated with gene expression levels and expression breadth. Previous reports on these correlations in plants and animals have been conflicting. In this study, next-generation sequence data, which has been shown to be more sensitive than previous expression profiling technologies, were generated and analyzed from 14 tissues.

RNA-Seq Atlas of Glycine max: a guide to the soybean transcriptome.

Background: Next generation sequencing is transforming our understanding of transcriptomes. It can determine the expression level of transcripts with a dynamic range of over six orders of magnitude from multiple tissues, developmental stages or conditions. Patterns of gene expression provide insight into functions of genes with unknown annotation.

Applications and methods utilizing the Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol (SSWAP) for bioinformatics resource discovery and disparate data and service integration.

Background: Scientific data integration and computational service discovery are challenges for the bioinformatic community. This process is made more difficult by the separate and independent construction of biological databases, which makes the exchange of data between information resources difficult and labor intensive. A recently described semantic web protocol, the Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol (SSWAP; pronounced "swap") offers the ability to describe data and services in a semantically meaningful way.

SoyTEdb: a comprehensive database of transposable elements in the soybean genome.

Background: Transposable elements are the most abundant components of all characterized genomes of higher eukaryotes. It has been documented that these elements not only contribute to the shaping and reshaping of their host genomes, but also play significant roles in regulating gene expression, altering gene function, and creating new genes. Thus, complete identification of transposable elements in sequenced genomes and construction of comprehensive transposable element databases are essential for accurate annotation of genes and other genomic components, for investigation of potential functional interaction between transposable elements and genes, and for study of genome evolution.

SoyBase, the USDA-ARS soybean genetics and genomics database.

SoyBase, the USDA-ARS soybean genetic database, is a comprehensive repository for professionally curated genetics, genomics and related data resources for soybean. SoyBase contains the most current genetic, physical and genomic sequence maps integrated with qualitative and quantitative traits. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) represent more than 18 years of QTL mapping of more than 90 unique traits.

SSWAP: A Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol for semantic web services.

Background: SSWAP (Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol; pronounced "swap") is an architecture, protocol, and platform for using reasoning to semantically integrate heterogeneous disparate data and services on the web. SSWAP was developed as a hybrid semantic web services technology to overcome limitations found in both pure web service technologies and pure semantic web technologies.

Results: There are currently over 2400 resources published in SSWAP.

Integrating microarray analysis and the soybean genome to understand the soybeans iron deficiency response.

Background: Soybeans grown in the upper Midwestern United States often suffer from iron deficiency chlorosis, which results in yield loss at the end of the season. To better understand the effect of iron availability on soybean yield, we identified genes in two near isogenic lines with changes in expression patterns when plants were grown in iron sufficient and iron deficient conditions.

Results: Transcriptional profiles of soybean (Glycine max, L.

Gene duplication and paleopolyploidy in soybean and the implications for whole genome sequencing.

Background: Soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is a well documented paleopolyploid.

Distinct biphasic mRNA changes in response to Asian soybean rust infection.

Asian soybean rust (ASR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is now established in all major soybean-producing countries. Currently, there is little information about the molecular basis of ASR-soybean interactions, which will be needed to assist future efforts to develop effective resistance. Toward this end, abundance changes of soybean mRNAs were measured over a 7-day ASR infection time course in mock-inoculated and infected leaves of a soybean accession (PI230970) carrying the Rpp2 resistance gene and a susceptible genotype (Embrapa-48).

Identification and analysis of gene families from the duplicated genome of soybean using EST sequences.

Background: Large scale gene analysis of most organisms is hampered by incomplete genomic sequences. In many organisms, such as soybean, the best source of sequence information is the existence of expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries. Soybean has a large (1115 Mbp) genome that has yet to be fully sequenced.

ESTminer: a suite of programs for gene and allele identification.

Unlabelled: ESTminer is a collection of programs that use expressed sequence tag (EST) data from inbred genomes to identify unique genes within gene families. The algorithm utilizes Cap3 to perform an initial clustering of related EST sequences to produce a consensus sequence of a gene family. These consensus sequences are then used to collect all ESTs in the original EST library that are related using BLAST.

Sequence length required for homologous recombination in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcosis is a major threat to immunocompromised individuals. Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and var.

Basidioboliasis in anurans in Florida.

Members of the genus Basidiobolus, a saprophytic fungus, have been associated with the digestive tracts of a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles. To elucidate the relationship of Basidiobolus sp. with amphibians in central Florida (USA), we document the occurrence of the fungus in the digestive tracts of Bufo terrestris, Buffo quercicus, Hyla femoralis, Hyla cinerea, Hyla gratiosa, Hyla squirella, Osteopilus septentrionalis, and Rana utricularia.